Waiohine Residents Can Now See Flood Choices and Costs

Piers Fuller Reporter from News of Wairarapa

The Waiohine Action Group and Greater Wellington are inviting everyone to have a look at six possible options for flood defences for the community and their costs. The joint project team is throwing open the doors of the project and laying out the detailed maps and lots of other information, so ratepayers can see costs, and which properties would be protected.
“We want all ratepayers to come along and see how these might impact them. Whether we are in flood areas or high and dry, we are all contributing to flood protection, so it’s a big deal for everyone to have a say. Whilst we have an awful lot of work to do yet, this is the first time we’ve been able to share this with the whole community and get guidance and feedback to help us finish the job.” says John Boon, facilitator of the project team.

“We know we still have to firm up the information and narrow the options down, but for Greater Wellington, this is a fresh approach to engaging the community in designing every aspect of the floodplain management plan. Our initial focus has been to bring different stopbank options to the table for discussion but we’re also thinking about how the river and floodplain should be used and managed by the community in the future. ” Mark Hooker, Senior Project Engineer for Greater Wellington Flood Protection Department explains. “So we’d really like to see everyone drop in for a few minutes, take a look, ask questions and give us their feedback.”

The Open Door sessions will be in the project room above the Greytown Library from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday July 26th and 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday July 28th.

For more information on please go to Waiohine Action Group Facebook page