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We own a home on the Heretaunga Plains in Hawke's Bay and have school-age children. Flood risk, insurance and the cost of protecting our home are major concerns for us. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. Which Hawke's Bay flood-protection works are already funded or underway, and which are still future options or election promises? Who is responsible for delivering each?
Hawke’s Bay flood protection: what is funded, what is being built, and what is still undecided?
For a homeowner on the Heretaunga Plains with school-age children, I would separate flood-protection commitments into three categories: work already funded and being delivered, upgrades to the existing regional flood scheme, and larger future options that have not yet been approved or funded.
The distinction matters when deciding how much confidence to place in election promises about protecting your home, keeping insurance affordable and reducing the risk to your family.
As at 26 October 2026, the key finding is that Hawke’s Bay has substantial flood-protection construction underway, but the region's longer-term plan for improving protection across the Heretaunga Plains is still being developed. Restoring Flood ResilienceCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | News Archive
1. The big picture
Funded and underway
The post-Cyclone Gabrielle programme has $256.5 million committed: $209 million from central government and $47.5 million from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC). It covers new stopbanks, flood walls, drainage improvements and related infrastructure. Restoring Flood Resilience
Existing flood scheme being reviewed
HBRC is reviewing the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme, which protects areas around Napier, Hastings and productive rural land. Potential improvements to the wider scheme have not all been decided or funded. Reducing Flood RiskCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | News Archive
Future investment decisions
The next major decisions are expected through HBRC's 2027–2037 Long Term Plan. That process will determine which longer-term protection options to pursue, their costs and how they should be funded. Community Feedback Will Help Shape The Future Of Flood Resilience In Hawke's BayCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | News Archive
The important qualification is that a funded project somewhere in Hawke’s Bay does not necessarily protect every property on the Heretaunga Plains. The location, river catchment, drainage system and the type of flooding affecting your property all matter.
2. Which projects are funded or underway?
The following is the position reported by HBRC and other official sources in 2026. The contractors build the works, but the councils remain accountable for delivering the projects.
| Project | Status at 26 October 2026 | Who is responsible? |
|---|---|---|
| Waiohiki | Complete A new 1.035 km stopbank, stream realignment, culverts and drainage upgrades were completed in May 2026. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding. Waiohiki |
| Ōhiti Road / Ōmāhu | Main build complete The $10 million project added 2.1 km of stopbanks and bunds, raised sections of road and improved drainage. Main construction finished in 2026. | HBRC; central government funds 75%, with HBRC covering the balance. Ōmāhu flood project reaches the finish line | News Archive |
| Pākōwhai | Under construction An 8.5 km network of new and upgraded stopbanks and flood walls, including a second line of defence along the Tūtaekurī-Waimate Stream. Target completion is in 2027. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding. Pākōwhai |
| Pōrangahau | Under construction A 1.7 km network of stopbanks and flood walls. The southern phase still requires further design and land-access arrangements, although funding is in place. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding; Galbraith Earthmovers is building the works. Pōrangahau |
| Havelock North | Under construction One of the seven major post-Gabrielle community resilience projects. | Hastings District Council, with central-government and regional co-funding. Restoring Flood ResilienceŌmāhu flood project reaches the finish line | News Archive |
| Whirinaki | Under construction / staged delivery Residential and industrial stopbanks and drainage improvements. A further phase around Pan Pac's log yard is planned to finish by April 2027. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding. Whirinaki |
| Wairoa | Funded; staged delivery A flood-mitigation scheme is being developed to reduce risk to the town. The revised 1C+ option includes a floodway and stopbanks; delivery is more complex than simply raising existing stopbanks. | HBRC leads the flood-protection project, with a separate $70 million Crown-funded allocation reported for Wairoa's flood resilience programme. Hawke's Bay flood protection worksHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Restoring Flood Resilience |
| Ōmāhu Upper and Lower stopbanks | Under construction A separate upgrade of approximately 2.8 km of the Ngaruroro River stopbank is under way, with enabling works starting in September 2026. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding; Galbraith Earthmovers is the contractor. Ōmāhu stopbank upgrade |
| Brookfields Lower stopbank, Awatoto | Under construction A 3.6 km upgrade began in September 2026, raising the bank by up to 0.6 m in places and widening it. Completion is expected by April 2027. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding; Goodman Contracting is the contractor. Stopbank upgrade works bring better flood resilience to Awatoto | Ōmāhu stopbank upgrade |
| Waipawa stopbank | Funded upgrade within the regional programme. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Restoring Flood Resilience |
| Pump stations and telemetry | Upgrades to pump stations and river/rainfall monitoring equipment form part of the wider programme. These improve drainage capacity and the ability to detect and communicate rising water levels. | HBRC, with central-government co-funding. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Restoring Flood ResilienceRestoring Flood Resilience |
Status note: “Under construction” can include different phases of a project. A completed section does not necessarily mean the entire project or all associated drainage works are complete.
The regional programme is substantial, but its protection standards need careful interpretation. Many of these works are designed around a flood with a 1% annual exceedance probability (AEP) — a 1-in-100 chance in any given year. That is not a guarantee against a larger event, nor does it mean such a flood happens only once every hundred years. Reducing Flood RiskStopbank upgrade works bring better flood resilience to Awatoto | Ōmāhu stopbank upgrade
3. The bigger Heretaunga Plains scheme: what is not yet decided?
This is probably the most important issue for your vote if your home is on the Plains but outside the specific communities receiving new flood defences.
HBRC manages the existing Heretaunga Plains Flood Control and Drainage Scheme. It covers approximately 39,000 hectares and provides flood-control and drainage benefits for about 127,000 people. Its assets include 155 km of stopbanks, 18 pump stations and hundreds of kilometres of rivers, streams and drainage channels. Major Schemes
The question now is whether that existing system should be strengthened further, where the improvements should go, and how much extra protection the community can afford.
A. Raising the standard of protection across the Plains
Future investment decision
HBRC has previously investigated raising protection at selected locations from a 1-in-100-year standard to a 1-in-500-year standard. Earlier planning identified sites including Moteo, Omaranui, East Clive, Raupare, Chesterhope Upper, Brookfields Lower and Pākōwhai Park.
Some of that earlier work has since progressed into funded construction, including Brookfields Lower. But the wider programme of potential upgrades is not the same as an approved, fully funded 1-in-500-year scheme for the entire Plains. Resilient River CommunitiesStopbank upgrade works bring better flood resilience to Awatoto | Ōmāhu stopbank upgrade
Responsible: HBRC. Further investment decisions will be made through its planning and rating processes.
B. River management and maintenance
Ongoing responsibility
Maintaining channels, managing gravel build-up, controlling erosion and maintaining vegetation are essential parts of flood protection. HBRC already performs this work, but the independent flood review highlighted areas for improvement.
Future changes in maintenance intensity, river management methods and funding are decisions about how the existing scheme should operate, not a promise that a new stopbank will be built in a particular place. Reducing Flood RiskResilient River Communities
Responsible: HBRC, working with affected landowners, mana whenua and relevant agencies.
C. A longer-term flood-resilience strategy
Options still being developed
HBRC's Reimagining Flood Resilience project has considered community priorities, engineering advice and possible approaches for both the Heretaunga Plains and Upper Tukituki schemes.
Its findings were presented to councillors in July 2026. HBRC explicitly stated that no decisions had yet been made on the future flood-protection options. Those decisions are to be considered through the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan, with public consultation expected in 2027. Community Feedback Will Help Shape The Future Of Flood Resilience In Hawke's BayCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | News Archive
Responsible: HBRC develops the options and proposes the investment; councillors make decisions through the Long Term Plan and related rating and budget processes.
What about a comprehensive new defence against a Cyclone Gabrielle-scale flood?
That is a different question from completing the existing funded projects.
Some local works are designed to reduce the consequences of a major flood, but the regional council acknowledges that no flood-protection system can eliminate risk entirely. The cost, environmental effects, land requirements and residual risk of substantially higher protection standards must still be assessed. Reducing Flood RiskCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | News Archive
I could not verify an approved, fully funded project to protect the entire Heretaunga Plains against a flood of Cyclone Gabrielle's scale. You should therefore treat claims that such protection is already guaranteed as unproven unless they identify a specific approved project, budget and delivery timetable.
4. Who pays, and what could this mean for homeowners?
The distinction between construction funding and ongoing costs is particularly important for household budgets.
| Cost or decision | Who is responsible? |
|---|---|
| Current post-cyclone resilience programme | Central government and HBRC share the $256.5 million programme budget. |
| Cost overruns on the regional programme | HBRC bears the cost of projects exceeding their allocated budget under the programme arrangements. |
| Maintenance of the existing Plains scheme | HBRC, funded through the scheme's rates and other regional funding arrangements. |
| Future major upgrades | To be determined through HBRC's future investment and funding decisions, including the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan. |
| Your home's insurance premium and excess | Your insurer sets these according to its assessment of the property and policy terms. |
Sources: Restoring Flood ResilienceMajor SchemesCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | News Archive
A completed stopbank does not automatically guarantee lower premiums or continued insurance availability. Insurers make their own assessments of residual risk, including the risk from surface water, overwhelmed drainage, groundwater and floods exceeding the design standard.
Likewise, a new scheme can bring ongoing operating and maintenance costs. For example, HBRC's Pōrangahau project information says its ongoing costs are expected to be shared through a targeted rate on local property owners and the general rate. The exact arrangement for any future Plains-wide investment remains to be decided. PōrangahauMajor Schemes
5. How to assess flood-protection promises in the 2026 election
Rather than judging parties solely on whether they promise “more flood protection”, I would look for concrete answers to five questions.
- Is there new money, or is the promise to finish work already funded? Ask whether the commitment is additional to the existing $256.5 million programme.
- Which places and assets will it protect? A promise to upgrade the Heretaunga Plains is less informative than a funded list of stopbanks, pump stations, drainage assets and river reaches.
- What level of flood protection is promised? Ask whether it means a 1-in-100-year or 1-in-500-year design event, and how surface-water flooding and larger events are addressed.
- Who will deliver it, and by when? Distinguish a central-government funding announcement from an HBRC-approved project with designs, consents, land access, a budget and a construction schedule.
- Who pays the ongoing costs? Ask about the split between central government, regional rates, targeted rates and property owners, and whether the policy includes help for households facing insurance or adaptation costs.
One important governance point: central government can provide funding, change legislation and set national policy, but HBRC manages the regional flood-control scheme and is responsible for most regional stopbank, river-management and drainage decisions. Hastings District Council has a direct delivery role in the Havelock North project. Major SchemesRestoring Flood ResilienceHawke's Bay flood protection works
I would not label an individual party's 2026 policy an election promise without checking its published policy or an attributable statement. The verified distinction here is between existing commitments and the future decisions still facing councils and central government.
6. What I would check first for your own home
For a family making decisions about staying, renovating, insuring or eventually selling, I would prioritise these steps:
- Identify the actual flood mechanism affecting your property. River flooding, local drainage overload, surface runoff and groundwater flooding can require different solutions.
- Check the latest property-specific flood information with your district council and HBRC, rather than relying on the nearest stopbank or a general regional map.
- Ask your insurer in writing whether planned or completed flood works affect your premium, excess, exclusions or renewal terms.
- Track the 2027–2037 HBRC Long Term Plan consultation. This is the key upcoming process for the wider Plains scheme, including choices about protection standards and affordability. Reducing Flood RiskCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | News Archive
The official starting points are HBRC's Restoring Flood Resilience project updates and its Reducing Flood Risk in Hawke's Bay overview.
My bottom line: Hawke’s Bay is already spending substantial money on real flood-protection works, some of which are complete and others due to finish in 2027. But the next major decision for the Heretaunga Plains is how much more protection to build into the regional scheme, where to build it, and who should pay. For your vote, I would give particular weight to credible commitments on that next phase, rather than counting existing construction as a new election pledge.
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Captured 26 October 2026 · shown as ChatGPT gave it, not a verified account
