Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says residents, mana whenua, industry representatives, technical experts and community stakeholders have helped shape a major new report on the future of flood resilience in the region.
The outcomes of the almost year-long Reimagining Flood Resilience project were recently presented to Councillors and will help inform future decisions about flood protection across the Heretaunga Plains and Upper Tukituki flood protection schemes.
Together these two schemes provide flood resilience benefits to around 84% of Hawke’s Bay residents, the Council said.
The project was established in response to the Hawke’s Bay Independent Flood Review following Cyclone Gabrielle and brought together community members, mana whenua, youth, engineers, operational experts and partner agencies to consider what long-term flood resilience could look like for future generations.
Council Chair, Sophie Siers said reducing flood risk remains one of the Council’s key strategic priorities.
“Cyclone Gabrielle changed Hawke’s Bay forever. Since then, we’ve been repairing damaged infrastructure, reducing immediate risks and strengthening our flood protection schemes. But we’ve also recognised the need to step back and have a bigger conversation about what flood resilience should look like in the future,” she said.
“This project has been about listening before deciding. We wanted to hear directly from the people who live, work and raise families in the communities protected by these schemes.”
Residents told the Council that safety must come first. They wanted greater transparency and accountability, clearer information about flood risks, stronger partnerships with mana whenua, more visible progress, and a more integrated approach to flood management that considers rivers and catchments from the mountains to the sea, or ki uta ki tai, the Chair said.
One theme appeared repeatedly throughout the engagement process: people wanted confidence that what they had said would result in action.
As the outcomes document notes, flood resilience is not simply about stopbanks, pump stations or engineering projects. It is about protecting lives, supporting communities and ensuring future generations can continue to thrive in Hawke’s Bay. It also recognises that no flood protection scheme can eliminate flood risk entirely and that communities must continue to prepare for events that exceed stopbank design standards, the Council outlined in a statement.
It says the findings align closely with wider community feedback received by the Council this year.
Recent survey work found that residents already understand reducing flood risk is one of the Council’s top priorities. What communities now want is evidence that they have been heard and that meaningful work is underway. Trust, transparency, accountability and visible progress emerged as some of the strongest messages from both the survey work and the Reimagining Flood Resilience engagement process, said Chair Siers.
The outcomes document includes community and mana whenua aspirations, recommendations from stakeholder groups and technical advice that will help guide future planning and investment decisions. It also establishes a foundation for the next phase of work, which will focus on developing long-term resilience options and integrating them into future Council planning.
Importantly, no decisions have yet been made on future flood protection options, said Chair Siers. Those decisions will be considered through the development of HBRC’s 2027-2037 Long Term Plan.
“This document is not the end of the conversation,” she said.
“It is the beginning of the next stage. We have heard clearly that people want safer communities, open conversations about risk, transparent decision-making and visible progress. The challenge now is to work through what that means in practical terms and what level of investment Hawke’s Bay communities want and can afford.
“Work is also underway to identify some quick wins, where the outcomes from the Reimagining Flood Resilience project can influence work programmes which are already underway.
“We encourage people to read the outcomes document, stay engaged and be part of the conversation as we develop options for consultation through the next Long Term Plan.”
