Process under way to protect at-risk properties

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

Mitigating flood risks to future-proof properties across Tairāwhiti is a mammoth task for authorities and the many affected residents that will take time to work through and implement solutions at both the community and property level. For anyone who wasn’t sure about the scale of this undertaking, the 21 preliminary maps of affected areas released by the council last Friday confirmed it.

While the small size and light inking on the maps make it difficult to know the precise outlines of the areas assessed as “high risk” Category 3 and “managed risk” Category 2, it will be clear for almost all of the more than 1000 homeowners . . . and if not, they will be hearing from the council to clarify their situation.

The 17 homeowners with a Category 3 assessment had that confirmed at the start of this month, when the Government announced it would help councils make buyout offers for such properties where it was deemed there was an “unacceptable” risk of further flooding or from unstable land.

The council hosted a drop-in session for people with questions about the situation for their property at its Fitzherbert Street chambers yesterday afternoon and about 50 affected residents attended.

It was clear there were still a lot of questions to be answered and that everyone’s situation was different. People were invited to speak to council staff afterwards and share contact details. They were also encouraged to share photos and videos from the floods with the council, to help it understand which areas are worst hit and how much water was passing through certain areas during the cyclone and other recent heavy rain events.

There is another session at the council chambers on Monday from midday-2pm and a hui is being held at Te Karaka Area School tomorrow from 3pm-5pm for their community. The council says hui for other communities will be announced shortly.

The council is contacting every property owner in areas that have been categorised as 1, 2 or 3. It says if you think your property is in an area categorised as 1, 2 or 3 and you haven’t been notified, to contact the council.

Category 1 properties are deemed low risk. The message for people in this category whose homes were yellow-stickered is that once repairs have been made, and silt removed from under the house if necessary, these properties can be lived on.

Working out the future for flood and landslide-affected properties will involve a lengthy engagement process as the council shares details and guidance, and gathers information from homeowners. Everyone impacted should know that the rest of us are thinking of them and hoping for the best possible outcomes.