Pōrangahau

Construction will be in two stages – the first for the northern side of the river, the second, the south.

Stage one (north)

Starting by the Pōrangahau Wastewater Plant, the 1.7km network of stopbank and (sheet pile) flood walls will follow the northern bank of the Pōrangahau River and finish next to 1 Keppel Street. Here the road will be raised to meet the height of the new stopbank.

Stage two (south)

The second stage of the project will include additional protection for Rongomaraeroa Marae, Kaumātua Flats, and Kaiwhitikitiki Urupā, as well as two private dwellings.We are working with our designers and landowners on the options for this stage of the project. Before work can begin, the right legal arrangements need to be in place for land access.

Pōrangahau has a long history of flooding, and Cyclone Gabrielle made clear that improved, longer-term resilience was needed. This project is funded through the Government’s North Island Weather Events (NIWE) programme to reduce risk for 79 2C properties and help remove them from the Future of Severely Affected Land, or FOSAL, framework – another acronym, but an important one. The category removal will happen in two parts: firstly, properties north of the river then the properties south of the river.

The construction work for the north side of the project will be carried out by Galbraith Earthmovers. They’ll be responsible for building the stopbanks, manage the day-to-day activity on site – and ensure everything is done safely, carefully and in line with environmental requirements. As construction gets underway, the community can expect to see Galbraith’s crews and equipment on site during working hours.

Construction will take place from Monday to Saturday, between 7am to 6pm. Traffic management will be in place on Keppel Street during some construction periods.

Funding comes from both central and local government. Through the NIWE resilience programme, Central Government has committed $209 million to flood protection across Hawke’s Bay, with HBRC contributing $47 million – a combined programme budget of $256 million.

The Pōrangahau project’s budget is $13m – 75.15 per cent funded via Central Government, 24.85 per cent from HBRC.

Who will pay for the maintenance afterwards?
The Pōrangahau flood resilience network is expected to cost around $63,000 a year to operate and maintain. As with other flood protection schemes, 70% will be funded through a targeted rate paid by Pōrangahau property owners, and 30% through the general rate.

The NIWE programme is a multi-million-dollar Central Government investment in flood protection across the North Island. In Hawke’s Bay, it funds seven new major resilience projects – including Ōhiti Road | Ōmāhu, Pākōwhai, Pōrangahau, Waiohiki, Waipawa, Wairoa, Whirinaki and Havelock North. Alongside these major builds, HBRC is also upgrading pump stations, stopbanks and river telemetry systems (which monitor and relay river level and rainfall data).