In February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle overwhelmed Te Karaka's flood protection scheme, overtopping stopbanks in multiple locations. While the stopbanks held and did not fail, the flooding caused major damage and significant disruption to the community.
In response, we're working in partnership with Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki to upgrade and improve Te Karaka township's flood defences, with support from government funding.
This project will upgrade the existing flood control scheme that protects the Te Karaka township to the same level of service provided by the downstream Waipaoa stopbank stopbank upgrades - designed to convey a 5,625 cumec flood event. For comparison, Cyclone Gabrielle was estimated by NIWA to have produced a 4,000 cumec event.
The Council-approved option includes significant retreat, along with culvert renewals, road realignment, flood mitigation measures, rock armouring, stream realignment, floodgate modifications, raising the state highway, and other works. Together, these improvements will deliver a higher level of flood protection and resilience than existed before Cyclone Gabrielle.
Te Karaka township is home to approximately 200 households and a population of around 525. While the area being investigated largely focuses on the township itself, it also extends to include a number of small nearby pockets that experienced flooding.
Flood modelling for the project extends 11.5km upstream to include the Waikohu River (a 10.5km branch), and 10kms downstream to Humphreys Road.
Te Karaka
This shows the extent of flooding in Cyclone Gabrielle. In an area of 187 hectares, 60 dwellings are categorised at FOSAL Category 2.
The existing flood control scheme doesn’t account for climate change and is currently susceptible to significant flooding and therefore a major risk to people and property living and working in the Te Karaka area.
What's happening now?
We're at Stage 2 - planning and consents approval
Following Council approval on 21 August 2025 of the preferred stopbank alignment developed during the investigation stage, we're now progressing the next steps:
- completing detailed design work
- preparing the resource consent application
- assessing impacts on local bridges
- updating construction and property costs
- working on options to secure additional funding.
A final Council decision, informed by Te Karaka community recommendations is required before construction can begin.
Funding update - the biggest challenge
The project has $13.2 million confirmed funding, but updated cost estimates show it will cost more that twice this amount. These indicative costs were negotiated in July 2023, alongside other competing priorities.
We're continuing to work closely with central government to explore other potential funding streams that will help us deliver the intended outcomes and keep the project moving forward. Te Karaka remains a top priority in our recovery programme.
Because different funding options come with different processes and timelines, it may take some time to understand what level of investment is likely. Some options may also require us to return to Council to consider Long Term Plan investment pathways.
Conceptual drawings for the new stopbank are now complete. The new stopbank has been designed to improve protection for Te Karaka township and will:
- On average, sit around 2 metres above the existing level.
- Have a footprint that is approximately 10 metres wider than the current structure.
- In some locations, be built closer to the township than the old stopbank to allow more room for the awa.
Example of detailed stopbank design
To ensure the effectiveness of the stopbank design, State Highway 2 and Rangatira Road will need to be raised to align with the stopbank height where they intersect.
Concept designs for the road-raising work have now been completed.
Example of road raising designs
We're updating the flood model to include some of the very large 'over-design' flood events - up to 1-in-1000-year scenario. This helps us better understand how the proposed upgrade might affect properties outside the township and gives Civil Defence and Māhaki Tiaki Tangata (the local Māhaki-led approach) stronger information to plan and prepare for a range of emergency situations.
Technical experts are assessing how the proposed stopbank upgrade might change floodwater impacts on the Kanakanaia and Rangatira bridges.
Their first step is estimating how much scour and loading could increase, so we can understand any risks and determine if we need to do more detailed work on the bridges.
Early results show both bridges are currently considered 'high risk' of failure in a major flood today, before any stopbank changes. These risks become slightly higher once the upgraded stopbanks are in place, as they influence how water moves during a big flood.
Further assessments are underway, with clearer information expected and a community update planned for the first quarter of 2026.
Resource consent
We have engaged very experienced planners from Hawke’s Bay who have worked on all Hawke’s Bay Flood Resilience projects, which share a similar scope with Te Karaka. The planners are aiming to submit the Resource Consent application between March-June 2026.
Planning controls
With changing climate and updated flood data, it’s likely future planning rules will be stricter in high-risk flood areas.
The Crown has also signalled that extra funding may require Council to look at planning/building restrictions for high-risk properties to reduce future damage if floods exceed the stopbank capacity.
Even with the proposed upgraded stopbank, Te Karaka will still face risk during very large flood events.
When water levels at Kanakanaia Bridge reach around 8.5m, vehicle access on State Highway 2 towards Gisborne city is cut off — well before the current stopbank crest of 11.4m.
This lag means residents may be isolated while flood risks continue to increase during an event (if evacuation has not occurred).
Maintaining community awareness, proactive evacuation planning and ongoing Civil Defence readiness is essential to mitigate these risks.
What happens next?
If additional funding is secured:
- A key decision will be whether the change in risk to the bridges is considered acceptable under the Resource Management Act.
- Considering the above point, Council will confirm if the project can move forward.
- The community will be updated on these issues prior to Council decisions.
- Property valuations and compensation discussions will begin.
- Progress can continue with design, consents and a final decision on construction.
If the additional funding request is not secured:
1. Council will need to consider other options, such as:
- ratepayer funding
- reallocating existing budgets, or
- consider lowering stopbank heights to align with the approved budget.
2. This would require further decisions by both Council and the Crown.
Past stages
The initial investigations phase is now complete. Since April 2024, Council has worked in partnership with Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and the local community to explore flood protection options for Te Karaka. Together, we narrowed down a longlist of potential solutions to 2 preferred options to reduce future flood risk. These were selected based on detailed flood modelling, engineering analysis, and input from iwi and the community.
Detailed information was shared with the wider community, who were invited to provide feedback to help shape the final stopbank alignment.
Based on this input, a preferred stopbank alignment was developed and presented to Council late August 2025. Council approved the recommendation, allowing the project to move into Stage 2 - planning and consents approvals.
April 2024
The first community hui was held to validate the partially calibrated flood model and gather feedback.
July 2024
A community-led steering group was formed, with representation from Te Karaka and surrounding areas.
August 2024
The steering group held 2 hui to review flood modelling, share experiences, and suggest additional scenarios for analysis. A wider community update was also shared.
March–April 2025
Longlist and shortlist stopbank alignment options were presented at community hui for discussion and feedback.
16 June–28 July 2025
2 preferred alignment options were shared online, and the community was invited to submit feedback.
Community hui were also held, and formal feedback was encouraged via the online form.
17 August 2025
A community hui was held to share the final preferred alignment and present the officer’s report to be tabled at the full Council meeting on 21 August 2025. (Note: the report was approved)
Project timeframe
Please note: These timeframes are indicative and may shift depending on approvals, funding, and consent processes.
Stage 1 – Investigations - ✅ Completed
- Mid-2025: Preferred upgrade option identified
- 21 August 2025: Preferred option endorsed by Council
Stage 2 – Planning and Approvals - Late 2025 onwards
- Lodge application for resource consent by summer 2025
- Confirm project funding
- Note: There are risks associated with gaining resource consent approvals
Stage 3 – Construction - Subject to consent approval
- Mid-2026: Begin procurement process
- Early 2027: Construction starts
- Estimated 2-year timeframe to complete the scheme upgrade