Papamoa Primary School deputy principal Wayne Whitaker is looking forward to the evacuation mound being built at Gordon Spratt Reserve, as children will no longer have to cross the road to reach their safety zone in Parton. Photo / John Borren
Papamoa Primary School deputy principal Wayne Whitaker is looking forward to the evacuation mound being built at Gordon Spratt Reserve, as children will no longer have to cross the road to reach their safety zone in Parton. Photo / John Borren
About 20,000 Tauranga properties will have tsunami flood-zone warnings loaded on to their Land Information Memorandums - a move described as "overbaked" by one city councillor.
About $3.3million is also being spent on infrastructure for the one-in-2500-year event.
Letters sent by the Tauranga City Council to affected owners said tsunami modelling was done in 2011/12 by the Institute of Geological and Sciences (at magnitude 9) and it then commissioned Tonkin and Taylor to produce inundation maps, which Niwa reviewed in April.
Costs for the research totalled $178,000 with another $25,000 spent on the LIM mail-out that included a tsunami evacuation zones pamphlet.
However, the average interval between earthquakes that cause such large tsunamis in Tauranga was uncertain and likely to be more than 2500 years, but an event could potentially occur at any time, the letter said.
"An earthquake is one in less than 100 years and a volcano one in 150 years so if those don't make the grade, what is the point?"
Ross Stanway, chief executive of Eves and Bayleys Real Estate said people were almost used to varied notes being put on LIM reports and he did not think it would stop people wanting to buy the beachfront home of their dreams - or affect prices and diminish demand.
"I live on the beachfront," and the threat of a tsunami was "not something that would keep me awake at night", he said.
Greg Purcell franchise owner of Ray White Realty Focus in Mt Maunganui and Papamoa said when it "comes to things like acts of God there might be a small minority that take things like that into account".
It was an assessable risk that was unlikely to happen in our lifetime, while the market was still strong with prices trending upwards with stiff competition for certain properties that were attracting three or four interested parties.
Insurance Council of New Zealand chief executive Tim Grafton said insurers did their own hazard risk mapping and the Bay of Plenty was seismologically challenged.
Most insurance companies would have already factored that into current insurance premiums, he said.
However, it was important hazard information was put on to the LIM as it enabled people to make informed choices and be aware so "at least they are purchasing properties with their eyes wide open".
Any place could face earthquake risks and a tsunami was easier for experts to model because they could calculate the impact and identify the areas that could be affected, he said.
AA Insurance customer relations manager Amelia Macandrew said AA premiums were based on claims data collected over time.
Tauranga customers who lived in a possible tsunami flood zone would not see a rise in premiums and if claims for tsunami flooding should occur, terms of the policy like excess and flood exclusion would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, she said.
Telfer Young, an independent valuation company, director Shayne Donovan-Grammer said he did not think people "would raise an eyebrow" over the LIM reports.
"I don't think it will have an impact at all really. Long-term erosion or something to do with that would be more of a concern to a buyer than a potential tidal wave."
Papamoa Progressive chairman David Hill said the council had been responsible and the move would not have an impact on house prices.
"No matter where you are there is always a risk and I think it is very responsible for council to point it out especially with the influx of new people coming into the area."
But Papamoa resident John Middleton said it was not necessary to go on the LIM because if you were buying near an ocean people must realise the remote risk and "it's over the top".
Papamoa resident John Middleton does not agree with the council's decision to put a possible tsunami flood zone warning on the LIM report for his home. Photo / John Borren
The evacuation information was helpful. However, spending millions on tsunami infrastructure "is a bit heavy handed" when other causes were missing out on the money.
Papamoa Beach resident Tita Keune, who was also a member of the group Neighbourly, said tsunami was a scary word and she hoped it would not affect people deciding to move into the area.
"Why pick on us people on the beach ... It seems a bit one legged."
Millions to go on evacuation measures
Tauranga is set to have one of the best tsunami response plans in the country following a council decision to spend millions on marked evacuation routes, safe zones and bridges.
Tauranga City Council emergency management manager Paul Baunton said two bridges were under construction, at Evansbel Place and off Bermuda Drive in Papamoa West. They should be completed within months, at a cost of $500,000.
"Piles for the bridges, which will go at least 20-25 metres deep, are being installed at the moment, and will be followed by the craning into place of the bridge located behind the Tuihana and Coast developments, while the Bermuda Drive bridge will be built in situ."
Three existing bridges had been included in the long-term plan for replacement during the 2015-16 financial year in the reserves adjacent to Dalton Drive, Butterworth Close and Santorini Key that were expected to have a price tag of $260,000 each, he said.
Two bridges were already in place on the reserves adjacent to Shaun Close and Bree Court.
An evacuation mound on the Gordon Spratt Reserve at Papamoa was also set to be built during the same timeframe and had been budgeted at $566,000, and planned for the same time as earthworks were undertaken for Te Okuroa Drive.
"It is anticipated that, in doing this, it will reduce the final cost of the mound and preliminary design work is complete."
The mound would be 3m above the Gordon Spratt Reserve playing fields and was about 3000sq m, and accessible for the mobility impaired.
"The final mound will be planted so as to be used for passive recreation by the community. Parks staff are working with project managers to ensure the mound provides value to the community from a recreational and safety perspective."
Another $400,000 vertical evacuation mound was also programmed for construction during 2018-19, behind the Palm Beach subdivision.
Meanwhile, the council would seek community feedback next month with tsunami public open days about meaningful signage, and had printed evacuation maps for the whole city.
Mt Maunganui/Papamoa ward councillor Steve Morris said an extra $1million had been pumped into the budget, so about $3.3million would be spent on tsunami evacuation routes and infrastructure.
"Once they are in place, we will probably have the most resilient coastal community in New Zealand. Others certainly won't have the scale of marked evacuation and safe routes that we are proposing to put in, so that can only be a good thing."
Papamoa East Evacuation Road Safety member Rick Hannay said his group's key concern was to ensure Te Okuroa Drive was progressed, as it was a vital part of the overall tsunami evacuation strategy and would provide an alternative road out of the area.
In the event of a tsunami, one would have to question "if traipsing on foot is the necessary solution", and it wanted fit-for-purpose evacuation roads that cyclists could also use in the event of an emergency, he said.
Papamoa Primary School principal Phil Friar said the Gordon Spratt Reserve mound option would be easier and safer to access than the Parton Rd Interchange. "It will provide easier access, because we won't have to cross a road."
But Papamoa East resident Eurico Charraz said the elderly would struggle to walk to the tsunami safe assembly area.
The 77-year-old said more focus needed to go on finishing Te Okuroa Drive.
Papamoa mother-of-two Keri O'Brien said the evacuation pamphlet was informative and she had pinned it on her fridge.
Her house was in the orange zone, one back from the beach, and if she walked to a safety zone and applied common sense she would be fine. The council was in a difficult position in regard to the money spent but it was better to be over-prepared than under, she said.
The Tsunami Survive pamphlet issued by council said a tsunami could arrive 50 minutes after a major earthquake and it advised people to go to a safe location on foot, as roads would block quickly.
