Watch NZH Local Focus: Papamoa farmers blame bad road design for flooded fields

Farmers in Bell Road, Papamoa spent several hours moving livestock to higher ground as the remnants of Cyclone Debbie continue to batter the region.

"There's not much more that we can do than that. We're just lucky we have some high ground left on the farm, the developments have just taken so much off the back."

Matthew and Marie Went say their property has become more flood prone since the construction of the Eastern Link Arterial route - and the development of neighbouring land.

They believe a concrete culvert built under the roadway is to blame.

"It's been under designed, it's a design flaw. For the amount of water that comes down this way, plus all the recent developments, there's just a lot more run off. That combined with the bottle-neck down there really affects us lower-lying farmers."

New Zealand Transport Agency Eastern Link project manager Wayne Troughton says he's been monitoring the storm water for the past six months and rainfall events like this are an issue.

Mr Troughton says the NZTA can now identify the problem and set about sorting it.

Long time residents say they've never seen the low-lying area so badly hit - and Mrs Went agrees.

"This is the worst rain, the worst flooding in 65 years for this road here. It did flood quite a bit in 2014, but really nothing like this."

Western Bay of Plenty District Council staff are monitoring a number of wastewater pump stations.

Mr Went says the pump station is flowing to capacity, and expects it to only get worse overnight as it continues to pump into the Kaituna River.

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