PGF application for flood scheme

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Fresh from $152.7 million of Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) spending announced for this region, and with projected costs for the Waipaoa Flood Control Upgrade now double the $16.4m budgeted in the Long-Term Plan — after river modelling refinements and technical peer review found the 64km of stopbanks need to be raised up to twice as much as originally thought — the council is now applying for $6m of government support for this vital protection work via the PGF.

An update for councillors before their meeting tomorrow says procurement for stage one of the stopbank improvement work is under way, with construction between Ford and Ferry roads, south of Ormond township, expected to start in late January — assuming consent approvals are granted.

A resource consent hearing was held on September 19 before an independent commissioner, and a decision is pending.

The resource consent application included the provision of cycle trails along the stopbanks, although no specific funding for this has been budgeted for, the update says. The cycle trails would cost $2m to $3m, on top of the now estimated $30m-$35m project cost.

The application to the PGF covers stopbank upgrades around the Waipaoa rivermouth to Matawhero Bridge area, and includes a rollout of cycle trails in that area.

n The CEO’s activity report indicates we will have outcomes later this year on two controversial processes, the representation review and the change to a dual name for Poverty Bay.

Following the October 8 hearing of appeals and objections, the Local Government Commission “will endeavour to make their determination on GDC representation arrangements before Christmas”.

A NZ Geographic Board report, after its own consultation and decision on September 27 to support the council’s proposal to change the name of our bay to Turanganui-a-Kiwa/Poverty Bay, is expected to go to Minister for Land Information Eugenie Sage “in the latter half of October”. While there is no deadline for the Minister’s final decision, “the NZGB have advised us that if successful, gazettal of the dual name change could take place prior to 2019”.