Aerial view of flooding in Napier after heavy rains deluged the region in November 2020. Photo / Supplied
Aerial view of flooding in Napier after heavy rains deluged the region in November 2020. Photo / Supplied
A leading expert on infrastructure resilience is warning new housing densification rules could lead to homes being built in “terrible places” at risk from tsunamis, floods and other natural hazards.
EQC chief resilience and research officer Dr Jo Horrocks said a much-needed building boom will be triggered under legislation like the National Policy Statement on Urban Development, which forces councils to allow more dense development.
She is concerned there could be unintended consequences for natural hazard risk management as planning restrictions are loosened.
“Let’s put it (housing) in the right places, let’s not put it in places that we know are terrible places to build. It’s just going to leave communities and individuals open to a massive risk in the future and maybe in the not-too-distant future.”
But the Ministry for the Environment says councils must implement new densification rules alongside their other duties under the Resource Management Act (RMA), which include managing significant risks from natural hazards.
Other areas she was concerned about included those highly susceptible to liquefaction, at sea level, on the edge of a cliff, or in close proximity to a fault line because that would “literally rip a building apart”.
Three adjoining townhouses above the cliff collapse on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Supplied
In Wellington, areas like Petone and Lower Hutt were subject to all sorts of hazards, Horrocks said.
“Putting more and more people there is truly not a good idea for the future. It’s not a good idea for them, it’s not a good idea for every responding agency, it’s just putting people in danger.”
The tsunami evacuation time for parts of eastern Petone was up to about 40 minutes to reach higher ground, Horrocks said.
A tsunami from a local source like the Hikurangi subduction zone or even worse, the Cook Strait, would get into Wellington harbour within 10 minutes, she said.
Hutt City Council notified a District Plan change in August to make way for the Government’s new rules.
A council spokesperson said the change identified areas at risk from natural hazards and included rules to manage development in these areas like limitations on the height and density of new housing.
Horrocks acknowledged it wasn’t realistic to avoid every area, but she wanted people to make informed decisions.
“It‘s about knowing what you’re facing, deciding if you can live with it, and what are the things you can do if you do want to live with it.”
Horrocks believed the Government’s RMA reforms will “certainly help”, but they are expected to take a decade to be fully implemented.
She was concerned about where houses could be built in the meantime during a “massive building boom”.
Bad weather hitting Petone in Wellington. Photo / Daniel Bailey
A Ministry for the Environment spokesperson said there was a “clear” framework for councils in the country’s biggest urban areas to allow for less development in areas of increased risk.
“This can be by reducing building heights or density, or not enabling intensification if is it inappropriate.”
The Ministry was monitoring intensification plan changes for how councils were applying these qualifying matters, the spokesperson said.
But Horrocks thought it could be clearer.
“I think councils are a bit lost about how to implement it and I sympathize with Wellington City or Hutt City around how to implement intensification with the hazards they’ve got.
