Waihī Beach Stormwater Projects
Waihī Beach is a special place, loved for its beautiful coastal environment and close-knit community. However, this unique location also brings challenges. The town is low-lying, with little natural drainage, and its proximity to the coast makes it difficult for stormwater to drain away during heavy rain. Because of these factors, some areas of Waihī Beach will always experience a level of flooding during severe weather.
On 29 May 2023, flash flooding had a devastating impact on many people in Waihī Beach. Since then, we’ve been doing a lot of mahi (work) to improve the stormwater systems in Waihī Beach. It’s a priority for us to do our utmost to improve stormwater drainage as much as we can. From clearing and maintaining drains and waterways to working on large-scale stormwater projects, we’re making progress and want to keep you updated on what’s happening.
What we've been working on
We’ve been working closely with the Waihī Beach Stormwater Liaison Group on a list of 75 stormwater projects aimed at improving drainage systems. This group includes community members from Waihī Beach SWAT (Stormwater Action Team), iwi representatives from Te Whānau a Tauwhao (hapu of Ōtawhiwhi Marae), the Waihī Beach Community Board, District Councillors, and Council staff. Together we’ve been investigating different solutions in the projects list, looking at how effective each is at reducing flooding, as well as other factors like cost and feasibility.
Several initial projects have now been successfully completed, most of which focus on remedial and preventative works. We've also completed extensive modelling and thorough feasibility assessments on some large-scale stormwater solutions to make sure they will help reduce flood risks without causing new problems elsewhere. This involved a number of steps including high level design, assessment of risks, costs, timeline to achieve, whether additional land needs to be purchased, and prioritisation. Council has now reviewed these feasibility assessments, and decisions have been made on which projects will move forward in the best interest of the community.
What's next
Now Council has made a decision on which projects we are moving forward on, we're doing the mahi of delivering them to the community. Visit our Waihī Beach Stormwater projects page to find out which stormwater solutions we are delivering for the community and stay up to date with the latest project updates, including maps showing project locations.
If you want to get in touch or speak to someone:
- Get in touch with us, or let us know about something you have seen in the following ways:
- Phone us 0800 926 732
- Email us info@westernbay.govt.nz
- Download our Antenno App