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Flood-weary Kaeo residents are backing a multi-million dollar plan to cut the risk of their town disappearing under water again but they worry they'll be asked to foot much of the bill.
The town was hit by major floods in February and July, wrecking homes and inundating businesses. Some residents have yet to finish repairing their homes; some shops never reopened after the July 10 storm.
The Northland Regional Council has come up with a plan which includes raising stopbanks and carving a river overflow channel near the college and primary school, both of which were hard hit. It also wants to lift some buildings and dredge the river. The catch is coming up with the cash.
Even the council doesn't know where it will find the $1.8 million needed, and expects locals will have to spend a similar amount.
But with a population of just under 500, many on low incomes, the town will struggle to pay.
Whangaroa College principal Nicolette Pako is pleased by the promises of action but questions why it took "a major disaster" before Kaeo's flooding woes were taken seriously.
"Anything they look at doing is good, and it's more than they've done in the past - which is nothing."
Her school is also in discussions with the Education Ministry about raising three prefabs by up to 800mm. Two classrooms have been closed since the March flood, which inundated much of the school and stopped lessons for six days.
Kaeo Farm and Fuel owner John Owens, who sat out both floods on his shop's mezzanine floor, said what he had seen of the flood protection plan made sense - except for the community paying half.
"Ability to pay was the stumbling block the first time there was a flood plan ... We just lack the critical mass to fund an area of this size."
The head of Te Runanga O Whaingaroa, Judy Steele, said the Far North and Northland Regional councils had put a lot of good work into the plan but she was disappointed there wasn't money available even for immediate flood repairs.
She estimated repair and protection work for the whole catchment would cost as much as $10m.
Environmental consultant Bryce Smith, who also runs the town's fish and chip shop, said the last time there was a flood plan the councils only carried out the first of three steps, then blamed the locals for picking the cheapest option.
"But we've also promised to work together this time, rather than blaming each other."
Warren Martin, of flood-hit Dip Rd, said the government should stump up to fix the problem, even if it cost millions.
"If you do it once and do it right it'll be a lot easier to maintain and a hell of a lot cheaper than moving the whole town."
But he backed plans to dredge out the river, saying the banks also needed to be widened and the trees cleared out. He also wanted more spans under the bridge on SH10, which he said acted as a dam forcing water back towards the town.
The regional council's Bob Cathcart agreed that the bridge restricted river flow and needed looking at. Any spending on state highways is the responsibility of Transit NZ.
The council was surveying land use in the area to see how sediment run-off could be reduced. He was "pretty confident" oyster farms in the harbour were not adding to the town's flooding woes but an Auckland University study this summer will see if they are causing sediment build-up.
The biggest question mark over the plan is money, he said.
None of the councils had budgeted for spending on that scale and they would be putting a case to Wellington for help, he said. "We'll be very interested in hearing what the Government has to say."
* A meeting will be held at the Whangaroa Memorial Hall, Kaeo, at 6pm on November 5 to update the public on flood recovery efforts.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
