Flooding is New Zealand’s most frequent natural hazard. Flood protection is vital in Waitaha Canterbury due to the region's vulnerability to flooding, especially during heavy rainfall events. Effective flood management helps protect homes, infrastructure and agricultural land, reducing economic losses and ensuring community safety. It also supports long-term resilience and sustainable development across urban and rural areas.
Work is underway to develop an appropriate method to measure the costs of flooding on Waitaha Canterbury. Proxy measures, such as the cost of insurance claims, do not reflect the region-wide impacts.
We are reducing river flood risk through building and maintaining high quality flood protection, land drainage and erosion control infrastructure. We monitor and maintain 59 river and drainage schemes across Waitaha Canterbury to help protect people and property.
To safeguard these assets, we have bylaws and rules in place to enable us, as well as local city and district councils and network operators, to repair and maintain these assets.
We provide the community with the most up-to-date information on natural hazards in our region so they can make informed choices about where they work, live and play. As well as informing the community, this information plays an important role in the development of policy, land use planning and emergency management planning.
We maintain and monitor an extensive network of rainfall and river flow sites. This network supports the delivery of a flood warning system. People and property susceptible to river and coastal flooding will receive warning of the potential impacts during significant rain events so that they are prepared and able to respond.
Climate change continues to increase the risk of flooding, and maintaining and improving flood protection nationally requires increased financial support for communities to be prepared and resilient. We are working with other councils nationwide to advocate for permanent co-investment from central government for flood resilience works.
Through Braided River Revival Whakahaumanu Ngā Awa ā Pākihi (BRR) we are shifting away from river management focused solely on flood protection, to one that also facilitates collaborative efforts to protect and enhance the range of values that make our braided rivers unique and important ecosystems. We are working in partnership with Ngāi Tahu to achieve our vision that the mauri (life force) of braided rivers is revived ki uta ki tai, mountains to sea, and that collective action is aligned at a landscape scale to achieve this vision.
We can help reduce the economic impact of flood events by investing in flood protection schemes and providing adequate flood warnings.
As kaitiaki, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu plays a key role in community support during flood events, with many marae becoming emergency centres, reducing the immediate economic impact on communities by providing food, shelter and supplies.
Central government has an enabling role in flood management, ensuring that local government has the necessary powers to manage flood risk. Funding research, providing guidance, flood forecasting and warnings are part of this enabling role. Central government also has a response and recovery role in helping communities to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
The Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management Group also works with communities to identify and reduce risks, increase readiness, and prepare for response to, and recovery from emergencies.
Te Uru Kahika – Regional and Unitary Councils Aotearoa, through the River Managers’ Special Interest Group (SIG), has led a programme of work establishing the need and urgency for longer-term central government co-investment in flood protection and management.
City and district councils also have roles and responsibilities for managing flood risk through the management of stormwater systems of drains, pipes, and natural features that divert or safely disperse the rainwater that runs off from property, public reserves, and roads. Through their District Plans, councils also manage land use in areas subject to natural hazards, including flooding.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi plays a role in ensuring road quality and maintenance, which can influence the economic impact of a flood event.
Before the Deluge – Building flood resilience in Aotearoa: The proposal for co-investment in river management and flood protection
Before the Deluge 2.0 – Updated case for co-investment in flood management infrastructure following Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.