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We’re building a 960-metre stopbank beside Taihape Road, lifting part of Ōhiti Road to align, and adding a second stopbank near the subdivision – along with stream works, drainage upgrades, and erosion protection. Once complete, 11 Ōhiti Road properties will shift from high-risk Category 2C to the greater safety of Category 1.
In May, both projects at Ohiwia Stream were completed, including the removal of 7,810 cubic metres of silt near Taihape Road bridge, stream cleanup, and the construction of two rock walls for protection.
A preferred flood resilience solution has been identified, involving new stopbanks, road elevation, drainage upgrades, and erosion control. These works will improve the flood resilience for the community and ultimately move Category 2C properties to Category 1.
Consent plans for the stopbanks are being finalised, with construction expected to begin in October.
Yes – a full range of flood mitigation options was explored early on, including wetlands, natural floodplains, and upstream diversions into Lake Rūnanga. But in terms of cost, effectiveness, and deliverability, the stopbank came out clearly ahead.
It’s the only solution that fits within the project’s scope and budget while offering strong protection to the 11 Category 2C properties. Larger-scale alternatives would require major infrastructure and fall outside the current mandate. Broader catchment strategies may still have a role to play – just not in this phase of the work.
Flood modelling shows only minor effects on upstream areas – including Taihape Road – even in a 1-in-100-year flood. The distance involved (over 4km) and local topography help limit any impact.
As part of the works, Taihape Road will be raised east of Broughton’s Bridge to help protect it from Ohiwia Stream. These improvements are based on detailed hydraulic modelling and are designed to reduce risk – not shift it. We’ll also be adding erosion protection. Our consent conditions are clear: no new flood risks – and we intend to meet them.
No. The stopbank is designed to offer protection in a 1-in-100-year flood – and to give residents vital time to evacuate in more extreme events.
Nothing can fully defend against a storm the scale of Gabrielle (initially assessed as a 1-in-710-year event, now revised to 1-in-400), but this stopbank will significantly reduce the risk to life and property. Final assessments on Gabrielle-scale impacts will be shared once modelling is complete.
It’s a statistical measure, not a prediction. A 1-in-100-year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) or 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) flood means there’s a 1% chance of that level of flooding happening in any given year. It doesn’t mean it only happens once every hundred years – in fact, major floods can and do occur closer together.
The proposed stopbank at Ōhiti Rd | Omāhu is designed to manage these kinds of events. In larger floods, like Cyclone Gabrielle, the system will still help by slowing the water and giving people more time to evacuate safely – but it won’t offer full protection. A solution that could withstand a Gabrielle-scale event would be hugely expensive and require much more land.
Community input is at the heart of this project. We began by working closely with Category 2C property owners and have since broadened engagement to include the wider community.
A dedicated Stakeholder Advisory Group (STAG) will soon be established to keep that dialogue going. Feedback is already shaping design decisions, informing modelling requests, and helping to guide both the technical and engagement approaches.
Central Government is covering 75 percent of the project’s $10 million cost – with that funding ring-fenced specifically for Ōhiti Road | Omāhu. HBRC is contributing the remaining 25 percent, funded through general rates across Hawke’s Bay (not a targeted rate).
The Government’s funding won’t be available indefinitely. If the project stalls, we risk losing this contribution – and the opportunity to build much-needed protection for the area.
Reclassifying these properties to Category 3, or buying them out, isn’t financially viable for Hastings District Council. Instead, the focus is on building effective flood protection that allows people to stay safely in their homes.
Most of the affected properties don’t carry Section 72 notices – and for the one that does, that designation will be reviewed once mitigation works are complete.
There's a lot of planning, consulting, consenting and design refinement before the diggers go in. Here are the most important documents and reports relating to this project.
Part of the Government’s North Island Weather Event (NIWE) recovery programme, the Ōhiti Rd | Omāhu project aims to reduce flood risk for 11 Category 2C properties along Ōhiti Road and nearby. The goal is to reclassify these homes to Category 1 – the lowest risk.
The preferred solution is a new stopbank, designed to protect against a 1-in-100-year flood. The design includes embankments and some road raising on the Omāhu side of Taihape Road to ensure protection doesn’t shift the risk elsewhere.
Ōhiti Road was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle. While most homes in the area avoided formal Section 72 notices, they were flagged as high risk for future flooding. A stopbank is the best option to provide targeted, reliable protection. It will give Category 2C properties 1:100-year flood protection and, just as crucially, buy time for safe evacuation in larger events.
Construction is set to begin in October 2025, once final designs are confirmed and consents secured. Major works are likely to take six to eight months, wrapping up mid-2026. Some early enabling works, including stream maintenance, are already underway.
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