Aubrey Inston says open drains running through the tiny Waimarino settlement of Rangataua are unsafe and should be replaced with a more effective and up-to-date water management system. Photo / Aubrey Inston
Aubrey Inston says open drains running through the tiny Waimarino settlement of Rangataua are unsafe and should be replaced with a more effective and up-to-date water management system. Photo / Aubrey Inston
A father of three young children says open drains running through the tiny Waimarino settlement of Rangataua are unsafe and should be replaced with a more effective and up-to-date water management system.
Aubrey Inston, whose children are 2, 7 and 9, said the drains running through his and other Rangataua properties were nothing more than trenches dug half a metre deep. They channel surface water from his and neighbouring properties in Nei St, Rangataua, 5km east of Ohakune.
“They fill up when they’re not working properly. It’s all about moving water more efficiently, and not creating little lakes which become dangerous for young children.
“What happens in winter when those things are frozen? We don’t like the idea that a 2-year-old gets out in frozen water and gets pinned and stuck.”
The slow-moving or backed-up drains were also a health risk, he said.
“I’m frustrated that in this day and age we’d still be using that technology. I realise it’s a very rural area but when I look at new development in Ohakune, it has better water management. This is a water management issue.”
In 2021, concerned by continual flooding around blocked drains, he contacted Ruapehu District Council.
“They said: ‘they’re your drains, you need to maintain them’. A neighbour and I went to the considerable expense of getting a digger in to dig [the drains] out.
“Some people are trying to maintain them, others have just given up. Once you get clumpy weeds in there, it’s either too wet to dig it out or if it’s dry the weeds become really clumpy.
“We’ve done our bit by trying to clear them out so the water flows through our sections but that only lasts so long before weeds get in there and they become unmaintainable.”
Photo / Aubrey Inston
Inston, who runs a logistics business in Auckland, is developing his family holiday home in Rangataua with plans to work remotely from there more often.
He wants Ruapehu District Council to fix the drainage issues and replace the open drains with below-ground pipes.
He took his plea to the Waimarino-Waiouru Community Board, saying he and his family wanted to spend more time in the area.
“We like it because it’s beautiful, quiet and very peaceful.
“It’s got wonderful views of the mountain. We like skiing, we do adventures in the summers. It’s a place for our children to connect with the countryside.
“We don’t have a big section in Auckland, but we want our kids to enjoy outdoor life. It’s a great place for kids to be – there aren’t even any pavements.
“In a sense, it’s very romantic – but the other part is that there isn’t infrastructure and people are left to their own devices.”
Inston brought the need for a drainage upgrade to the Waimarino-Waiouru Community Board’s public forum, held at the beginning of each meeting.
“The drains were put in in the 90s, when Nei St was at the time a gravel road, so road water wouldn’t have been a major issue at that time,” Inston said.
“In the course of time, that road has been sealed so there is more water coming off the road and that does bleed through the sections.
“It was good technology 30 years ago, but we’re in 2022 now.”
Deputy mayor Viv Hoeta said she was mindful of climate change and the increasing number of weather events which underscored the need for effective drainage.
The council’s infrastructure executive manager Vini Dutra promised the council would visit the site and a stormwater engineer would assess the tiny community’s drainage system.
“We have stormwater budget for upgrades of our infrastructure,” Dutra said.
If the investigation supported a drains upgrade, it would be “the perfect opportunity to invest the money in Rangataua and get the drains re-looked at”.
“My goal, if there are outcomes from the investigation that point at upgrading, is that we will get that sorted before winter.”
He advised anyone with water management concerns to ring the council’s customer services and put in a formal request for service.
“That way, a contractor has to go to the site and do an analysis within measured timeframes which are reported on. Any urgent actions, safety concerns, or if you’re worried about damage to property, the request for service is best one to record in our system.”
Inston said it was “very nice to be heard”.
“We aren’t the only ones affected. It is worth the council investigating [putting in pipes] to benefit the whole community.”
After the meeting, councillor Rabbit Nottage said the recent flash flooding in Auckland had raised awareness of the importance of adequate drainage infrastructure.
He said Rangataua and several parts of Ohakune were low-lying and formerly swampy.
“I remember [kuia] Betty Pakai coming to a flood planning meeting and describing these areas as the liver of the mountain. Rangataua is no different – it drains and filters.”
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