Flood risk category lifted for Whirinaki homes as work ramps up

Published: 17 February 2026

Thirty-eight Whirinaki households no longer have a post-Cyclone Gabrielle risk category attached, as the $23m Whirinaki flood resilience project moves into construction – with State Highway 2 road-raising continuing and a new residential stopbank about to begin. 

 Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) has confirmed that 38 properties in Whirinaki, previously classed as Category 2C following Cyclone Gabrielle, no longer have a risk category attached under the Government’s severely affected land (FOSAL) framework.

Property owners were sent letters last week from Regional Council confirming the change and setting out what it means for their properties.
 
Regional Councillor Louise Parsons (Ahuriri/Napier) says the news marks a significant step forward for Whirinaki. 

It doesn’t mean that floods won’t happen again. But it does say the risk has been reduced to an acceptable, liveable level – and that we’re backing this up with stronger, more resilient infrastructure.” 

- HBRC Councillor Louise Parsons

  “For the 38 households who’ve been living with Category 2C, it brings clarity and certainty,” she says. “It doesn’t mean that floods won’t happen again. But it does say the risk has been reduced to an acceptable, liveable level – and that we’re backing this up with stronger, more resilient infrastructure.” Councillor Parsons says the change will mean a great deal, helping move property owners out of limbo.

“With the third anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle passing on Saturday, this will land deeply for a lot of people,” she says. “For these Whirinaki families, it means your future can still be here.”

 What land categorisation meant at Whirinaki

Introduced by Central Government after Cyclone Gabrielle, the land categorisation process was used to assess future flood risk and guide recovery decisions – including whether community-scale flood resilience projects could realistically reduce that risk.
 
Those categories sat within the Government’s Future of Severely Affected Land (FOSAL) framework, which helped identify communities facing the highest risk – and, crucially, where there was a workable infrastructure pathway to reduce risk.
 
That work has been backed by NIWE – the Government’s North Island Weather Events programme – which has committed $209 million of funding managed by National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF) to seven major flood resilience projects across Hawke’s Bay, including Whirinaki.
 
With a clear pathway now in place in Whirinaki – a viable mitigation option confirmed, land access secured, and consents granted – the label could finally fall away: the 38 homes formerly identified at Category 2C have been removed from the FOSAL framework and no longer have a risk category attached.
 
Regional Council Chair Sophie Siers says this is exactly the kind of outcome NIWE was set up to support.
 
“The NIWE programme has given affected Category 2C communities a way to stay in their homes," she says. “It’s been a long journey for Whirinaki, but removing this risk category can give people confidence that risk has been reduced – and that stronger protection is now being put in place.”

With construction activity stepping up in early January, Chair Siers says the progress to date has been built on strong partnerships – and the patience and grit of the Whirinaki community.
 
“We’ve been able to get this complex project moving because of the support and guidance we’ve had from our partners – Petane Marae, Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust, Pan Pac, NZTA Waka Kotahi, Hastings District Council, and Central Government through NIFF,” she says.
 
“And most of all, the Whirinaki community. Thank you for your patience, your persistence and for staying the course.”

 The land categorisation journey at Whirinaki

• Cyclone-affected homes on Pōhutukawa Drive and parts of North Shore Road were first classified as category 2A in mid-2023.
• Later in 2023, 38 Whirinaki homes were moved to Category 2C. That means the flood risk was considered unacceptably high, but there was a feasible community-level option to reduce it.
• Once funding for the Whirinaki flood resilience project was confirmed, consents granted and land access requirements met, these properties became eligible to have the 2C category removed.
• Having served its purpose, Category 1 was retired from the Land Categorisation framework in December 2025. This means that the Whirinaki properties have been removed from the Government’s Future of Severely Affected Land (FOSAL) Risk Categorisation Framework and no longer have a risk category attached.

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