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Recommendations
That
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:
1. Receives and considers
the Implementing
recommendations from reviews arising from Cyclone Gabrielle staff report.
2. Agrees that the decisions
to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in
Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that Council
can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue without
conferring directly with the community.
3. Notes that of the 49
recommendations relevant to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:
3.1. 7 are completed
3.2. 16 are underway
3.3. 15 are partially under
way
3.4. 8 have not yet been
scoped
3.5. 1 is paused (after being
partially underway)
3.6. 1 requires
pre-feasibility analysis
3.7. 1 is not HBRC-led.
4. Directs the Chief
Executive to fully scope the 4 recommendations that will improve the way we
communicate flood risk and enable others to make informed decisions for
community safety, being:
4.1. FRHBRC-15. HBRC should
actively communicate and educate communities about the level of flood risk
they are exposed to and assist them in improving their resilience to
flooding, including, but not confined to, improving and updating the HBRC
online Hazard Portal.
4.2. FRHBRC-18. HBRC should
identify specific trigger levels for alerts and recommended evacuations for
known flood risk areas, document these in their Flood Manual and communicate
them with those who are affected.
4.3. FRHBRC-19. HBRC should
ensure that robust systems are in place to alert the community when trigger
levels are being approached or exceeded and ensure Civil Defence has all the
information it needs to undertake its functions. This could include providing
greater public access to HBRC river flood forecast information.
4.4. FRHBRC-20. HBRC should
take a precautionary approach when providing forecast flood inundation
information to Civil Defence. The use of “worst case scenario”
terminology should be avoided as that conveys a potentially inaccurate and
overly optimistic assessment of what may actually occur. All communications
regarding potential flood inundation should be as clear and decisive as
possible.
5. Directs the Chief
Executive to undertake further assessment of the remaining recommendations
(following) that require further assessment and/ or a funding review.
5.1. FRHBRC-05. HBRC should determine the
design standard of improved flood management systems based on robust economic
analysis to determine the minimum net cost accounting for the investment
required for the flood mitigation works and the value of flood damages avoided
due to those works. The widely applied 100-year, including climate change,
should be considered the minimum standard and not the default standard. This
will necessitate consideration of the flood management standards and
long-term budgets, an example being the 500-year flood standard for the
entire Heretaunga Plains Scheme within the current Long Term Plan. (partially
underway but not funded)
5.2. FRHBRC-07. When assessing and
designing flood management systems near river mouths, HBRC should incorporate
scenarios that consider partial blockage situations, as well as a range of
sea level and storm surge conditions. By way of example, at the Esk River
mouth, the interaction with the adverse coastal conditions in addition to
significant debris loading is likely to have increased flood levels in the
lower reach of the river. (partially underway and partially funded)
5.3. FRHBRC-08. When assessing and
designing flood management systems near bridges, HBRC should incorporate
scenarios that consider partial blockage situations and account for this in
the design. The breaching of stopbanks immediately upstream of bridges was a
notable feature of this event, with the breach at Awatoto being a clear
example.
(partially underway and partially funded)
5.4. FRHBRC-09. HBRC should ensure that
where natural high ground forms part of the flood management system, it is
identified and appropriately protected so that it maintains its functionality
over time. For example, it was unclear whether the high ground upstream of Waiohiki
marae was at the same level during the flood as it was when surveyed and
assessed to be up to the 100-year design standard. (not
scoped and not funded)
5.5. FRHBRC-10. HBRC should undertake a
review of activities allowed to be undertaken on river floodway berms and
stopbanks to ensure that the flood management infrastructure is protected
from damage and or ongoing maintenance requirements that would otherwise not
be required. For example, the use of motorbikes and 4WD vehicles on the
Waipawa and Ngaruroro Rivers. (paused)
5.6. FRHBRC-28. HBRC should ensure it has
sufficient financial and people resources available to allow it to provide
effective advocacy and technical input to planning processes and resource
consent applications, so as to ensure that development does not occur in
areas subject to unacceptable flood hazard risk. (partially underway
and partially funded)
5.7. FRHBRC-32. HBRC should be more
proactive in managing gravel build up where it is above design grade lines,
and either extract it to maintain the agreed level of service or develop and
implement alternative options. These should include but not be limited to
being more directive regarding gravel extraction and removing contractor's
ability to pick and choose locations based on convenience. Noting that the
2023 flood event will have likely changed the riverbed levels considerably,
the upper Tukituki system and the Tūtaekurī and lower Esk River
were noted as locations where specific assessments and actions were needed. (partially
underway but not funded)
5.8. FRHBRC-33 HBRC should investigate
options for more permanent river mouth openings using techniques such as
heavy guide banks/moles at locations where it is critical for flood
conveyance and increased flood levels cannot be accommodated by upstream
flood management works. During Cyclone Gabrielle the Esk River mouth was at
least partially impeded and may have contributed to the extent of upstream
flooding. (pre-feasibility analysis)
5.9. FRHBRC-34. HBRC should evaluate the
need to add maintenance of the Wairoa River channel to the scope of the
existing Asset Management Plan for this area. This evaluation should include
consideration of riparian vegetation management as well as riverbed level
monitoring in line with typical survey frequency (5-yearly) of the
region’s other main rivers. (underway but only partially
funded)
5.10. FRHBRC-35 Using the survey data
noted above, HBRC should complete a geomorphic assessment of the bed level
trajectory for the lower Wairoa River for the purpose of assisting with the
assessment of flood management infrastructure options for this area. (not
scoped and not funded)
5.11. FRHBRC-37 HBRC should acknowledge
the inequity whereby Māori land and communities have been marginalised
by decisions and actions of central and local government for many decades and
are often located on low-lying, flood-prone land (e.g. Tangoio, Waiohiki and
Omāhu). (not scoped and not funded)
5.12. FRHBRC-38 HBRC should recognise and
provide for Māori communities and low-socio-economic areas that are
disproportionately exposed to flood risk because flood protection in those
areas does not satisfy HBRC's traditional cost/benefit approaches. HBRC
should develop a new flood management model with mana whenua. (not
scoped and not funded)
5.13. FRHBRC-40. Where marae
and papakainga are unprotected in terms of flood protection works (two
examples being marae at Porangahau and Wairoa), HBRC needs to partner with
mana whenua groups at those places in looking at options to render those
communities safe and sustainable into the future. Options may include raising
the floor levels of marae or moving communities to higher ground. HBRC needs
to engage urgently with these communities and with the Crown provide funding
and assistance for planning, consultation, purchasing and other measures
necessary to manage flood risk effectively in these marae and papakainga.
(partially underway and partially funded)
5.14. FRHBRC-42. HBRC should
communicate and collaborate effectively with communities, mana whenua and
stakeholders in the development and implementation of flood risk management
solutions for areas subject to flood risk. (partially
underway and partially funded)
5.15. FRHBRC-43. HBRC should make more and
better use of local networks and knowledge that exist within communities, as
it leads the process of developing comprehensive flood risk management
solutions and implements the physical works needed to improve flood
resilience in Hawke’s Bay. (underway but only partially
funded)
5.16. FRHBRC-44. HBRC should develop a
collaborative process for developing flood scheme designs involving regional
and district councils, mana whenua and the wider community.
(partially underway and partially funded)
5.17. FRHBRC-47 HBRC should review the
funding of current and future river management Schemes so that the local and
regional share provide affordable and equitable outcomes. (not
scoped and not funded)
6. Agrees that HBRC is not
the lead agency for the following recommendation and will play a supporting
role in its implementation.
6.1. FRHBRC-39. HBRC should engage
urgently with communities on Category 3 land such as Petane Marae and Tangoio
Marae and, with the Crown and territorial authorities, provide funding and
assistance for the planning, consultation, purchase and potential rebuild of
these maraes and papakainga on other land.
7. Agrees with the reporting
framework, for regular reporting on implementation of the review
recommendations, for staff to implement.
8. Instructs the Chief
Executive to collaborate with the Crown Manager, Wairoa District Council,
Tātau Tātau o te Wairoa and the Matangirau Reserves Board and the
Wairoa community at place to:
8.1 identify
and develop the most effective management structure for the Wairoa bar
8.2 ensure
that this structure gains the Wairoa community’s confidence in the
decision-making process.
Roadley/Lambert
9. Prepares, adopts and
communicates a staged programme of implementation of the North Island Weather
Events projects, the HB Independent Flood Review Panel recommendations
(short-term/urgent, intermediate and long-term) along with an engagement
programme for the longer term recommendations in particular.
Williams/Harding
CARRIED unanimously
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