A major milestone has been reached in the Waipaoa stopbank upgrade project, with almost all physical construction now complete and just 300 metres of stopbank left to build.
During the 2025/26 construction season, crews completed major flood protection works across the Waipaoa River Scheme, including:
- 6 km of stopbank from Wi Pere to 1913 Matawai Road
- 1 km of stopbank from Renner Road to 678 Lavenham Road
- Whakaahu culvert upgrade
- Whatatuna flood gate
- Railway Bridge swing gate installation
Regional Rivers Manager Joss Ruifrok says reaching this point marks years of planning, collaboration and hard work.
"This is a major milestone, seeing nearly all of the flood protection upgrades completed is something everyone involved should be proud of. It's taken strong partnerships, careful planning and a huge effort from our contractors, staff, iwi and project partners to get us here."
A period of wet weather towards the end of the construction season means work on the final 300 metres of stopbank will recommence in September. Along with rock armouring at several locations across the scheme, the upgrade is expected to be completed by June 2027, providing protection from climate change effects through to the year 2090.
While the remaining section isn’t yet finished, most of the work has already been initiated, with the stopbank raised by around one metre and widened significantly. A final 0.5 metres of height will be added in spring, when ground conditions allow.
Mr Ruifrok says the project will provide long-term benefits for the region.
"These upgrades strengthen one of the region's most important flood protection schemes. While there's still a small amount of work to finish, the improvements already in place will help reduce flood risk for years to come and give our communities greater confidence in the resilience of the scheme."
The project has been accelerated through significant Government investment. In August 2020, $7.5 million in funding from Kanoa enabled delivery of the stopbank upgrades to begin sooner. This was followed by a further $20.46 million in Government funding in December 2023, allowing the programme to continue at pace.
As a result, the project is now expected to be completed four years ahead of the original 2030/31 schedule.
Mr Ruifrok says completing such a large programme ahead of schedule is a significant achievement.
"Bringing forward a project of this scale means the benefits of improved flood protection are being realised years earlier than originally planned. That's a great outcome for everyone who lives and works alongside the Waipaoa River."
More information and a map of stopbank locations is available here.
Photo: Completed stopbank near Mulloolly’s Road, Waipaoa.
Photo: Railway bridge swing gate.