City of Auckland

12/03/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/02/2024 18:59

A third of storm-damaged homes being relocated

More than 60 storm-damaged homes have now been removed across the region, with over 30% of the homes being relocated.

These homes have been assessed by Auckland Council as having intolerable risk to life (Category 3) following the devastating storms early last year.

Muriwai was the first suburb to see homes removed, with work beginning there in March. Homes are currently being removed in Muriwai, Rānui, Henderson, Swanson, Piha, Titirangi, Grey Lynn, Mt Eden, Epsom, Pukekohe, Milford, Kumeū and Waiwera.

Relocating homes is the preferred option to reduce waste to landfill and to provide new homes for other families. Deconstruction is the second preference, with most of the materials going to community recycling centres to be reused by local residents.

The costs to remove the homes so far have been higher than budgeted, largely due to challenging sites and the presence of asbestos. Changes to the procurement approach will aim to bring the average cost down.

Materials from the North Shore homes are going to community recycling centres in Devonport and Wairau. Localised Hubs Manager Carla van Walen said it was a real shift in mindset to see so many of the building materials being reused and recycled.

"We're getting whole households of doors and windows, whole kitchens, bathrooms and appliances. We even got 900kg of pavers and someone bought all of them," she said.

Carla said they were looking at opportunities to work with the local Awataha Marae to use recycled materials for their alternative education programme.

The council is currently exploring possible uses for the land after the houses are removed. With safety being our top priority, some of the options being considered include using it for stormwater management, adding it to neighbouring parkland, or retaining it to improve storm resilience for neighbouring properties.

Learn more about the home removal programme following the 2023 severe weather events on OurAuckland and the council website.