Accelerating flood resilience projects in Māngere

Auckland Council has requested an Order in Council from the government to enable faster delivery of two critical flood resilience projects in Māngere that will reduce future risk for the community.

The Minister for the Environment has begun public engagement to seek feedback on the proposed Order in Council. Public engagement is open until 5pm, 23 August 2024.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is encouraging people to have their say.

"We need a financially and physically resilient Auckland. This order is part of a toolkit we now have to deliver flood protection projects quickly. It's part of the bigger picture that the government has partnered with us to deliver. I urge people to take part in the feedback; they know their communities best," says Mayor Brown.

Manukau ward councillor Alf Filipaina noted the impact of the severe weather events on many of our communities.

"The impacts of the severe weather events in early 2023 continue to be felt by many of our communities, including in Māngere. These works, endorsed by us at the Transport and Infrastructure Committee earlier this month, will reduce the flood risk for hundreds of properties and increase flood resilience for the wider community," says Cr Alf Filipaina."The Order in Council has not been requested lightly and reflects the hardship that this extreme weather has caused our south Auckland communities, and many others across Tāmaki Makaurau. This is your opportunity to give your feedback so we can deliver these projects quickly while ensuring we are listening to iwi, local residents and our community leaders."

Manukau ward councillor Lotu Fuli emphasises the region-wide importance of this work and why we're starting with Māngere.

"There are many areas in Tāmaki Makaurau that would benefit from flood resilience works. It makes sense to start in Māngere as these works can be done more easily than in other areas, and where Te Ararata and Harania catchments were some of the worst hit by the flooding," says Cr Fuli."This proposal aims to accelerate recovery by shortening the resource consent process so the work can start more quickly, and I encourage our community to give their feedback."

Tauanu'u Nanai Nick Bakulich, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Chairperson, echoes this sentiment and welcomes these proposed works.

"Our community is still recovering from the January floods and recent storms, with many calling for stronger flood protection. The Order in Council represents a major leap towards meeting these needs. It's essential for everyone - local groups, leaders, faith organisations, homeowners, renters - to engage, get involved, and provide feedback so we can swiftly advance these flood resilience projects, using their input, for Te Ararata and Harania. Join us in turning the tide and making our community safer and more flood resilient," says Chairperson Tauanu'u Nanai Nick Bakulich.

What does this Order of Council propose?

The construction of flood risk mitigation and resilience works usually requires complex resource consents which can take 18 months or longer to complete.

As part of the Order in Council, it is proposed to:

• Start the project works in summer 2024/2025, council proposes to speed up the consenting process and reclassify the project works as controlled activities under the Resource Management Act, overriding certain rules in the Auckland Unitary Plan.
• Prevent appeals to the Environment Court against the consent decision. This certainty would allow the council to start work quickly when the decision is made.
• Include a set of conditions and matters of control that act as safeguards for any environmental impact. This will include sediment and erosion control plans as well as noise standards.
• Require that an independent commissioner be the final decision maker and that this person will hear from local landowners, iwi and others before making their final decision and imposing conditions.

Where would it apply and when?

The proposed Order in Council will apply to the two catchments of Te Ararata and Harania Creeks in Māngere, and only the council would be able to use it to apply for consents. It would take effect from late October 2024 and expire on 1 October 2028.

You can read more about what's in the proposed works for these catchments on OurAuckland.

How to provide feedback

The Minister for the Environment is seeking your feedback on this proposal. Please email your feedback to [email protected] before 5pm, 23 August 2024.

MfE is also holding a webinar on Thursday 15 August, where the public can learn more about the proposed Order. You can learn more about the Order on the Ministry for the Environment's website, and register for the webinar here.

Feedback will be provided to the Minister for the Environment, the Regulations Review Committee and the review panel considering these Orders in Council under the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act 2023.

You can find out more about this Order in Council on the Ministry for the Environment website.

About Making Space for Water

The Making Space for Water programme includes a range of initiatives to reduce flood risk to Aucklanders. Part of this is building new flood resilient infrastructure to enhance stormwater assets and green spaces to deliver increased flood management.

Auckland Council is sharing some of the cost of flood resilience projects with central government as part of a $2B co-funding agreement for storm recovery. These are subject to business case approvals from both the council and the government, and projects must demonstrate a flood risk reduction for the wider community, not just individual properties.

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