2026 New Zealand election: flood protection and recovery in Hawke’s Bay

Assessment as at 31 October 2026 · General election: 7 November 2026

The central issue for a Heretaunga Plains homeowner is not simply which party promises to spend the most on flood protection. It is which party has a credible plan to keep your home insurable, reduce the risk of another catastrophic flood, and prevent the cost of protection being passed disproportionately to local ratepayers and homeowners.

There are four particularly important questions to consider:

1. Will central government continue paying a substantial share of Hawke's Bay's flood protection?
2. Will investment go beyond repairing existing stopbanks to improve the resilience of the entire Heretaunga Plains?
3. What happens to households if their property becomes difficult or impossible to insure?
4. Who pays if protection works become unaffordable for regional and district councils?

There are meaningful differences between the parties, although some have published much more specific proposals than others.

1. Why the Heretaunga Plains deserve particular attention

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The Heretaunga Plains are particularly exposed because they combine:

• Large rivers and catchments, including the Ngaruroro and Tūtaekurī.
• Low-lying residential and productive agricultural land.
• Drainage systems and pump stations that must cope with heavy rainfall.
• Significant residential development behind engineered flood defences.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council manages 27 flood resilience and drainage schemes. Most of its stopbank network is designed around a one-in-100-year level of service, while managed drainage networks have a substantially lower design standard, approximately one-in-five-year protection for productive land.

Importantly, a one-in-100-year standard does not mean a flood can only happen once every hundred years. Nor does it guarantee that a property will not flood.

Approximately 84% of Hawke's Bay's population benefits from the regional flood schemes. Reducing Flood RiskCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience

The Regional Council is also reviewing the future of the Heretaunga Plains and Upper Tukituki schemes. Its Reimagining Flood Resilience project has considered engineering, nature-based solutions, community priorities and mātauranga Māori.

That matters because the next generation of protection could be considerably more expensive than simply repairing existing stopbanks.

2. How the major parties compare

The following comparison focuses on published 2026 policies, relevant previous government decisions and the likely implications for households. It is not a ranking of general environmental credentials.

The distinction between an explicit election commitment and an existing government programme is important.

National Party

Incumbent government

Approach: Infrastructure investment, fiscal restraint and council-led delivery.

National's most important evidence is its record in government following Cyclone Gabrielle.

The current government has supported a substantial flood resilience programme, including:

• A $256.5 million North Island Weather Event resilience programme, comprising $209 million in central government funding and $47.5 million from Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
• Continued delivery of major flood protection projects.
• Stopbank, pump station and drainage improvements.
• A national climate adaptation framework, with further decisions about long-term funding and cost-sharing still to be resolved.

National's 2026 election policy emphasises controlling public expenditure, reducing debt, keeping rates affordable and avoiding new taxes. Its published election platform does not set out a comparably specific new Heretaunga Plains flood-protection funding commitment. 2026 Election PolicyRestoring Flood ResilienceRestoring Flood Resilience

What this could mean for your household

• Existing funded flood protection projects have continuity under National.
• Its emphasis on council affordability could help limit some local government spending pressures.
• However, there is uncertainty about who would pay for the next generation of protection beyond the existing programme.
• If further investment is required, a greater share could fall on regional and district ratepayers unless central government commits additional funding.

The important question to put to National is whether it will fund the next stage of Heretaunga Plains protection, rather than simply finish the projects already under way.

Labour Party

Approach: Greater central government involvement, climate resilience and public investment.

Labour's previous government played a significant role in establishing the funding arrangements for Hawke's Bay's post-cyclone recovery.

It committed substantial funding towards flood resilience, including:

• Funding associated with the North Island Weather Events recovery programme.
• Earlier flood resilience investment.
• The original climate adaptation and emissions-reduction policy framework.

Labour's 2026 election manifesto has a strong focus on household affordability, infrastructure and public services. However, its currently published headline policies do not provide a specific new Heretaunga Plains flood-protection funding package. Luxon's Government cut flood protection spending while extreme weather worsensLabour's 2026 Election PoliciesCyclone Recovery Funding Hawke's Bay

What this could mean for your household

• Potentially stronger emphasis on central government sharing the cost of major protection infrastructure.
• Greater willingness to invest in long-term climate resilience rather than concentrate on disaster recovery.
• A possible reduction in the burden on local ratepayers if national funding is prioritised.

The uncertainty is the funding detail. Labour needs to explain how much it would commit, over what period, and whether it would extend existing Hawke's Bay programmes.

Green Party

Approach: Preventing climate-related damage, restoring natural protection and investing before disasters happen.

The Greens have made climate adaptation a significant part of their 2026 manifesto.

Their stated priorities include:

• Preparing communities for increasingly severe weather.
• Supporting communities through climate-related disasters.
• Restoring natural ecosystems that help protect communities.
• Strengthening climate action and adaptation planning.
• Supporting vulnerable communities, including marae and community groups.

The Greens have also criticised the current government's flood resilience funding decisions. In April 2026, they argued that central government flood protection spending had fallen substantially compared with the previous government's commitments. That is a party claim based on its interpretation of government funding figures, rather than an independently established measure of the quality of completed flood protection. Manifesto 2026Luxon's Government cut flood protection spending while extreme weather worsensMuch delayed climate adaptation bill needs much more work

What this could mean for your household

• More emphasis on catchment-wide solutions, wetlands, river systems and natural flood buffers alongside stopbanks.
• Greater attention to the long-term effects of climate change on flood frequency and severity.
• Potentially stronger support for communities that cannot afford their own resilience measures.

The Greens' challenge is translating these principles into a sufficiently large, predictable infrastructure budget for Hawke's Bay.

For a household on the Heretaunga Plains, natural flood management is valuable, but it cannot substitute for reliable stopbanks, drainage and pump stations.

ACT New Zealand

Approach: Fiscal restraint, property rights, private-sector activity and reduced climate-related regulation.

ACT's general policy direction differs from the Greens and Labour.

Its approach to climate policy favours reducing regulatory intervention and questioning the cost and effectiveness of government climate programmes.

Its stated policy direction includes opposition to the existing Zero Carbon Act framework and the Climate Change Commission's role.

I have not found a comparably detailed, published ACT commitment specifically addressing:

• Long-term flood protection for the Heretaunga Plains.
• A national flood-insurance support scheme.
• A dedicated Hawke's Bay adaptation fund.
• A new national cost-sharing arrangement for managed retreat.

What this could mean for your household

• Potentially less pressure for additional climate-related regulation and public expenditure.
• Greater emphasis on controlling rates and government borrowing.
• Less certainty about the availability of additional Crown funding if Hawke's Bay needs a major new flood protection programme.

The key question is whether ACT would support substantial additional central government investment if the regional council cannot afford the necessary works.

New Zealand First

Approach: Regional infrastructure, practical flood protection and active river management.

New Zealand First has a particularly relevant historical policy position for regional communities.

Its previous policy programme included:

• Re-establishing catchment boards focused on river, stream and flood protection management.
• Supporting flood protection and water storage through regional infrastructure funding.
• Reducing regulatory obstacles to flood protection schemes.
• Greater attention to productive rural infrastructure.

These are relevant to Hawke's Bay because flood risk is not confined to residential properties. It also affects agricultural land, transport routes, drainage networks and the regional economy. 2023 Election PoliciesOur Policy2026 Election Q&A - Science

What this could mean for your household

• Potentially more emphasis on river management, stopbanks and practical engineering.
• Greater attention to regional infrastructure needs.
• Possible support for reducing consenting delays on important protection projects.

The limitation is that the older policy commitments do not establish exactly how much new funding would be available for the Heretaunga Plains under a 2026 government.

I would want to see a specific commitment to the regional flood scheme, not just a general promise to support infrastructure.

The Opportunity Party (TOP)

Most explicit published insurance proposal

Approach: National climate resilience funding and a new system for sharing insurance and adaptation costs.

TOP has one of the most directly relevant policy packages for your particular concerns.

Its September 2026 Climate Resilient Aotearoa policy proposes:

• A $5 billion Climate Resilience Fund to strengthen essential infrastructure against extreme weather.
• $500 million for nature-based climate solutions, including restored wetlands.
• A National Insurance Support Framework for managing insurance retreat in flood-prone and coastal communities.
• Expanded Natural Hazards Commission responsibilities.
• Better national coordination of climate-risk information.
• Mandatory forward-looking climate-risk information for homes, mortgages and insurance.
• A framework for sharing adaptation costs between central government, councils, insurers and property owners. Climate ActionOpportunity proposes national insurance support framework as part of climate policyOpportunity Party proposes new rules for insurance retreat

What this could mean for your household

This is particularly relevant if you are concerned about future insurance premiums and the possibility of insurers restricting or withdrawing cover.

A national framework could:

• Give homeowners better information about future flood exposure.
• Establish clearer rules for who pays for protective improvements.
• Help households understand whether their property is likely to remain insurable.
• Provide a more predictable process if relocation eventually becomes necessary.

However, the $5 billion is a proposed national fund, not $5 billion allocated to flood protection in Hawke's Bay.

The policy still needs more detail about how individual homeowners qualify, how much insurers contribute, and how much financial responsibility remains with property owners.

Te Pāti Māori

Approach: Climate justice, community-led adaptation, Māori authority and equitable disaster recovery.

Te Pāti Māori's published climate policy emphasises:

• Investment in climate resilience for vulnerable communities.
• Protection of whenua, wai and natural environments.
• Māori-led decision-making.
• Regenerative environmental approaches.
• Equitable adaptation and emergency response.

Its broader policy framework places particular importance on whānau, marae, hapū and iwi having authority in decisions affecting their land and communities. PolicyElection Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New Zealand

What this could mean for your household

• Greater attention to the impacts of flood protection decisions on Māori landowners and communities.
• More emphasis on local knowledge and community participation.
• Potentially stronger support for vulnerable households and communities during recovery.

Its published commitments are less specific about engineering budgets, stopbank standards and the allocation of costs for protecting the wider Heretaunga Plains.

3. Side-by-side comparison

This table assesses the practical relevance of published positions, rather than suggesting that every party has a fully developed flood policy.

Party	Long-term flood protection	Insurance and retreat	Cost-sharing clarity
National	Existing funded projects and infrastructure delivery	No comparable new national framework identified	Further funding unresolved
Labour	Previous major investment; broader public investment approach	No specific new framework identified	Further commitments needed
Greens	Strong climate adaptation and natural resilience emphasis	Community support, but detailed homeowner framework unclear	More detail needed
ACT	General infrastructure and fiscal restraint approach	No specific framework identified	Limited detail
NZ First	Strong historical emphasis on regional infrastructure and river management	No specific framework identified	Limited detail
Opportunity	$5bn proposed resilience fund	Explicit national insurance support framework	Proposes shared responsibility
Te Pāti Māori	Community-led and climate-resilient approach	Equitable adaptation emphasis	More engineering and household detail needed

Sources include party manifestos and policy announcements, the Regional Council and independent policy reporting. 2026 Election PolicyLabour's 2026 Election PoliciesManifesto 2026Our PolicyClimate ActionPolicyReducing Flood Risk

4. What could the different approaches mean financially for your family?

This is arguably the most important part of the comparison.

There are three separate financial risks for homeowners on the Heretaunga Plains.

A. The cost of protecting your home through rates

resilientrivers.nz

Hawke's Bay Regional Council has already warned that the next generation of flood protection could be expensive.

Its 2025 assessment identified:

• Approximately $450 million in existing regional flood resilience infrastructure.
• Approximately $250 million in additional planned expenditure by 2027.
• Potentially another $600 million if all identified engineering solutions were implemented.

The Council warned that funding all those additional solutions through ratepayers could potentially double rates. Hawke’s Bay community to help shape flood resilience futureHawke’s Bay community to help shape flood resilience future

That is a significant consideration for a family with a mortgage and school-age children.

The political difference is essentially:

• National: prioritise fiscal discipline and affordable rates, with uncertainty over additional Crown contributions.
• Labour: potentially greater willingness to fund major infrastructure nationally.
• Greens: prioritise preventative investment, including environmental solutions.
• ACT: greater emphasis on limiting government expenditure and local government costs.
• NZ First: prioritise practical regional infrastructure and river management.
• Opportunity: propose a dedicated national fund and explicit sharing of adaptation costs.
• Te Pāti Māori: emphasise equitable investment and community-led resilience.

One important distinction: a government promising to keep rates down is not necessarily making flood protection cheaper. If central government contributes less, the bill may simply move to local ratepayers or homeowners.

B. Insurance premiums and the possibility of losing cover

rnz.co.nz

This is an issue I would pay particularly close attention to when assessing the parties.

Insurance companies increasingly have to consider whether properties in flood-prone areas remain commercially insurable.

The Treasury has acknowledged that increasing flood risk could challenge the insurability of some residential properties, with implications for both homeowners and wider society. Residential insurance and climate-related hazards‘There comes a point where there’s no price you can charge that can cover the risk’

For your household, there are several possible outcomes:

1. Your insurance remains available but premiums and excesses increase.
2. Insurers impose restrictions or exclusions on particular flood-related risks.
3. Your property becomes difficult to insure.
4. Your property value is affected because prospective buyers cannot obtain affordable insurance or finance.

This is where TOP's proposed National Insurance Support Framework stands out.

It explicitly recognises that insurance retreat is a national policy issue rather than simply an individual homeowner's problem.

The Greens and Te Pāti Māori also have stronger emphasis on climate adaptation and protecting vulnerable communities, although their specific homeowner insurance arrangements need more clarification.

National, Labour, ACT and NZ First need to provide clearer answers about how they would manage insurance retreat and who would carry the cost.

C. What happens if another major flood occurs?

Your family also needs to consider the financial support available immediately after a disaster.

That includes:

• Emergency accommodation.
• Temporary financial assistance.
• Support for essential household goods.
• Assistance with property repairs and recovery.
• Support for children to maintain access to schooling.
• Longer-term support if a property becomes unsafe to occupy.

The Greens have advocated increasing and extending Civil Defence Payments following severe weather events, including raising the existing maximum payment. Greens call on Government to increase and extend the Civil Defence Payment

TOP's broader approach includes stronger community resilience and national adaptation funding.

The previous Hawke's Bay recovery agreement also provides a useful benchmark. It involved up to $556 million in Crown funding across property purchases, flood mitigation and transport repairs. Cyclone Recovery Funding Hawke's Bay

However, this was a specific recovery agreement, not a guarantee that future disasters will receive the same level of support.

I would look for commitments that establish predictable recovery arrangements before another disaster happens.

5. What is already happening in Hawke's Bay?

It is important not to confuse election promises with projects that already have funding.

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The Regional Council's existing programme includes seven major resilience projects:

• Ōhiti Road and Ōmāhu.
• Pākōwhai.
• Pōrangahau.
• Waiohiki.
• Wairoa.
• Whirinaki.
• Havelock North, delivered by Hastings District Council.

It is also upgrading pump stations and telemetry systems.

A particularly important milestone was the completion of the new Waiohiki stopbank in May 2026. It was designed to a one-in-100-year standard and enabled 45 properties previously classified Category 2C after Cyclone Gabrielle to move to Category 1.

The Council says construction across the major programme will have started by the end of 2026, with completion planned by mid-2027. Waiohiki stopbank complete in major flood resilience milestoneRestoring Flood Resilience

But there is a significant distinction:

These existing projects do not settle the long-term future of flood protection across the entire Heretaunga Plains.

The Regional Council's Reimagining Flood Resilience project is informing its 2027–2037 Long Term Plan.

Its August 2026 update confirmed that community feedback would help shape future decisions for the Heretaunga Plains and Upper Tukituki schemes. Community feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilienceReducing Flood Risk

That means the next government will inherit important decisions about funding, engineering standards and the division of costs.

6. Five questions I would want every party to answer before voting

These questions are particularly useful because they force parties to explain how their policies would affect an actual household rather than simply express support for flood protection.

Question	Why it matters
1. Will you commit to long-term Crown funding for the Heretaunga Plains flood scheme?	Prevents the costs simply shifting to local ratepayers.
2. Will you fund improvements beyond the existing stopbank programme?	Existing protection may not be sufficient for future conditions.
3. Will you establish a national insurance support framework?	Protects homeowners against insurance withdrawal and unaffordable premiums.
4. Who pays if a property needs additional protection or managed retreat?	Determines whether homeowners face substantial unexpected costs.
5. Will you establish predictable disaster recovery assistance?	Helps families plan financially for future emergencies.

I would also ask each party whether it supports:

• Independent, regularly updated flood-risk mapping.
• Better drainage and pump station capacity.
• Catchment-wide river management.
• Restrictions on inappropriate development in high-risk areas.
• Protection of essential community infrastructure, including schools, roads and water supplies.

7. My overall assessment

Based on the published positions available on 31 October 2026, these are the distinctions I would give the most weight to.

If your biggest concern is insurance and the financial future of your property

TOP has the clearest specific proposal through its National Insurance Support Framework and proposed $5 billion Climate Resilience Fund.

If your biggest concern is preventative climate adaptation

The Greens have a strong emphasis on long-term climate resilience, natural flood management and investment before disasters occur.

If your biggest concern is central government infrastructure funding

Labour has a record of substantial previous flood resilience investment, while National has continued funding and delivering the existing recovery programme. Both need to clarify their next-stage commitments.

If your biggest concern is practical regional engineering

NZ First's historical commitments to catchment boards, river management and regional infrastructure are relevant, although its new funding commitments need clarification.

If your biggest concern is keeping rates and government spending down

National and ACT place greater emphasis on fiscal restraint. The trade-off is that you need to establish how future flood protection will be funded if local councils cannot afford it.

Te Pāti Māori offers a distinct perspective on equitable adaptation, community participation and Māori authority, but needs more detailed engineering and household funding commitments to be directly comparable.

8. What I would prioritise as a Heretaunga Plains homeowner

With children in school, I would not look at this solely as a question of protecting the value of your house.

I would consider three generations of financial consequences:

• The next 3 years: Will existing flood protection projects be completed? Will insurance remain affordable? Will rates rise substantially?
• The next 10 years: Will the entire flood scheme be strengthened sufficiently to cope with changing weather patterns? Will schools, roads and essential services remain accessible?
• The next 20–30 years: Will your home remain insurable, financeable and attractive to future buyers? Will your children inherit a property with manageable flood risk?

I would also avoid assuming that a property currently classified as low risk is permanently safe. A flood protection scheme can reduce risk substantially without eliminating it.

Useful independent resources

These are worth reviewing before making your decision:

• Hawke's Bay Regional Council – Understanding and reducing flood risk — explains stopbanks, drainage, flood schemes and future planning.
• Current Hawke's Bay flood protection projects — shows funded and ongoing work.
• 2026 Reimagining Flood Resilience update — explains the next stage of planning.
• Treasury – Residential insurance and climate-related hazards — explains the national insurance challenge.
• Policy.nz – 2026 party policy comparisons — useful for checking wider party positions.
• The Conversation – 2026 election policy tracker — independent coverage of election commitments.

One final consideration

I would be reluctant to choose a party based solely on its climate policy or its promise to keep rates down.

For a homeowner on the Heretaunga Plains, the most valuable combination is:

1. A funded, long-term flood protection programme.
2. A fair division of costs between central government, councils, insurers and property owners.
3. A credible national approach to maintaining insurance availability.
4. Reliable support for families when disasters occur.

The biggest unanswered question in this election is whether New Zealand will treat flood protection as essential national infrastructure, or leave an increasingly large share of the responsibility with the communities and households exposed to the risk.

That is the question I would put to every candidate standing in Hawke's Bay.

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2026 New Zealand election: flood protection and household security on the Heretaunga Plains

For a homeowner on the Heretaunga Plains, the flood question is about much more than whether a party promises to build stopbanks. It is about whether your family can remain safely in your home, whether insurance will remain affordable and available, who pays for major flood-protection infrastructure, and whether your community can recover financially after another major event.

The February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle disaster exposed how interconnected these issues are in Hawke's Bay. For the 2026 election, I would separate the parties' positions into four questions:

1. Prevention: Who will fund and deliver long-term river, drainage and floodplain protection?
2. Household protection: Who will help homeowners manage flood risk, property adaptation and insurance?
3. Recovery: Who will pay for rebuilding roads, stopbanks, drainage systems, homes and community facilities after disasters?
4. Future development: Who will prevent additional homes and schools being built in areas exposed to unacceptable flood risk?

An important distinction: a party's national climate or emergency-management policy is not necessarily a funded commitment to the Heretaunga Plains. I distinguish between established policy directions, previous government actions and specific commitments for the 2026 election.

1. What is already happening on the Heretaunga Plains?

Before comparing parties, it is worth understanding the infrastructure and funding decisions that the next government will inherit.

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The existing flood-protection programme

Hawke's Bay Regional Council administers the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme, alongside the Upper Tukituki scheme and smaller drainage schemes.

Some important facts:

• Much of the existing stopbank network was designed around a one-in-100-year level of service.
• Managed drainage networks generally provide a lower level of protection, closer to one-in-five-year service.
• Approximately 84% of Hawke's Bay's population lives or works in areas benefiting from regional flood schemes.
• The council is reviewing whether existing protection remains adequate in light of Cyclone Gabrielle and changing weather risks. Reducing Flood Risk

The current resilience programme includes:

• New and upgraded stopbanks around Ōmāhu, Pākōwhai, Waiohiki and other locations.
• Pump-station improvements.
• River and floodway improvements.
• Better rainfall and river-level monitoring.
• Upgrades in Havelock North and other communities.

The programme was reported in December 2025 as part of the approximately $1.7 billion national North Island Weather Event recovery initiative. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Restoring Flood Resilience

rnz.co.nz

Who pays?

The existing funding arrangements are particularly important for household budgets.

Funding component	Arrangement
Central government flood-resilience contribution	Approximately $209–212 million
Hawke's Bay Regional Council contribution	Approximately $47.5 million
Typical central/local funding split	75% / 25%
Wairoa flood protection	$70 million Crown-funded allocation

Sources report slightly different programme totals depending on the funding measure and programme stage. Restoring Flood ResilienceHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Restoring Flood Resilience

This matters because the regional council's contribution ultimately affects ratepayers. If projects exceed their allocated budgets, the regional council has indicated that it bears the additional costs. Restoring Flood Resilience

The key issue for homeowners: funding the initial stopbanks is only part of the equation. Long-term maintenance, future upgrades, drainage improvements and the consequences of exceeding design standards all need funding.

2. How the major parties compare

The following comparison draws on the 2026 election campaign, published policy material and statements from Hawke's Bay candidates. It is important to distinguish specific local commitments from broader national policies.

National

Current government's delivery record

Approach: Continue central-government-funded engineering works, improve hazard information and strengthen emergency preparedness.

National's most concrete evidence is its record in government since Cyclone Gabrielle.

Its commitments and actions include:

• Approximately $200 million in Hawke's Bay flood-protection investment.
• Support for stopbank, bridge, drainage and pump-station improvements.
• $70 million for Wairoa flood protection.
• Budget 2026 provision of $400 million nationally for state-highway resilience.
• Development of a national flood map to provide better property-level hazard information.

These commitments were outlined by National ministers and Hawke's Bay MPs. Preparing before disaster strikesMP candidates address flood resilienceHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Restoring Flood Resilience

What this could mean for your household

• Continued investment in physical flood defences.
• Potentially better information when buying, selling or insuring property.
• Improved resilience of roads connecting children to schools and families to essential services.
• Continued reliance on regional and district councils to deliver important local works.

The question to put to National: What happens after the current programme finishes? Will there be a permanent national funding commitment for upgrading the Heretaunga Plains scheme, including its bridges, drainage and stopbanks, rather than relying on successive emergency funding packages?

National's published election policy platform should also be distinguished from its government's existing infrastructure programme. The latter is not automatically a promise of equivalent future investment. 2026 Election PolicyRestoring Flood Resilience

Labour

Approach: Locally led adaptation, backed by substantial central-government funding and technical support.

Labour's local Tukituki candidate, Dan Scott, has explicitly argued that:

• Local communities and councils should lead adaptation planning.
• Solutions should reflect individual communities and catchments.
• Central government must provide funding, resources and guidance.
• Councils should not be left with unfunded responsibilities.

He has also committed to advocating for Hawke's Bay to receive its fair share of national adaptation investment. MP candidates address flood resilience

Labour's national 2026 policy platform does not, in the material I found, specify a new Heretaunga Plains flood-protection funding allocation or a dedicated national flood-insurance programme. Labour's 2026 Election PoliciesLabour's 2026 Election Policies

What this could mean for your household

• Potentially greater central-government involvement in paying for regional resilience.
• More local input into decisions about where protection is needed.
• An emphasis on ensuring councils have sufficient funding rather than passing costs to ratepayers.
• Less certainty, at this stage, about the precise size and duration of any future flood-protection funding.

The question to put to Labour: Would it commit to continuing the current Crown contributions and fund further Heretaunga Plains improvements beyond the existing programme? What share would central government pay, and what share would remain with ratepayers?

Green Party

Approach: Long-term climate adaptation, community funding, nature-based flood management and stronger public support for people facing climate risks.

The Greens' 2026 manifesto contains a dedicated climate resilience and adaptation programme.

Its specific proposals include:

• A dedicated fund for central and local government to finance climate adaptation and resilience.
• Expanded funding for hapū, iwi and community-led adaptation.
• A Māori Climate Resilience Fund.
• Expanding the Natural Hazards Commission's role to cover climate-related weather events and help manage community-led adaptation and retreat.
• Prioritising long-term nature-based solutions alongside broader planning and ecosystem restoration. Climate Action: Resilience + Adaptation

Green Party Napier candidate Roy Boonen has also expressed support for a dedicated central and local government adaptation fund. MP candidates address flood resilience

What this could mean for your household

• Greater emphasis on managing entire river catchments, not just strengthening individual stopbanks.
• Potential investment in wetlands, natural flood storage and restoration alongside engineered defences.
• More explicit consideration of what happens to families who cannot safely remain in their homes.
• A proposed expansion of public disaster insurance support, although the exact coverage, premiums and eligibility arrangements would need to be established.

One important distinction: nature-based protection is not necessarily a substitute for stopbanks, pumps and drainage in densely populated areas such as Hastings. The practical question is how the different approaches would be combined.

The question to put to the Greens: How would your adaptation fund support existing homes on the Heretaunga Plains, and would it cover household-level protection and insurance affordability as well as community infrastructure?

New Zealand First

Approach: Stronger central-government accountability and investment in durable infrastructure.

The Napier candidate, Te Kira Lawrence, has said NZ First would push for:

• Greater NZ Transport Agency accountability.
• Central-government investment in long-term flood-resilience solutions.
• Infrastructure that is built to withstand future events rather than simply being reconstructed to its previous standard. MP candidates address flood resilience

This is a clear local campaign position, but I would distinguish it from a detailed, costed national policy. I have not established a specific NZ First commitment to a long-term Heretaunga Plains funding programme or household flood-insurance assistance.

What this could mean for your household

• Potential pressure for more durable bridges, roads and flood infrastructure.
• More attention to the consequences of repeated infrastructure failures.
• Uncertainty over how much additional Crown funding would be available and how household insurance would be addressed.

The question to put to NZ First: Will you commit to a multi-year Hawke's Bay flood-protection programme, with central government accepting a defined share of the costs?

ACT

Approach: Cost-conscious engineering, maintenance and prioritising infrastructure investments.

ACT's Tukituki candidate, Rob Douglas, has proposed a practical approach to the flood-risk problems identified around Awatoto.

He suggested:

• Clearing gravel build-up.
• Widening river channels.
• Removing obstacles restricting flood flows.
• Considering higher and longer bridges where necessary.
• Prioritising existing infrastructure maintenance and important transport routes.

He said that, where funding is a constraint, lower-priority transport spending could be reconsidered to support resilience projects. MP candidates address flood resilience

What this could mean for your household

• Greater emphasis on maintenance and getting more capacity out of existing infrastructure.
• Potentially more scrutiny of the cost-effectiveness of large engineering projects.
• A focus on protecting economically important transport routes and infrastructure.
• Less clarity about financial support for individual homeowners, insurance or managed retreat.

The question to put to ACT: How would you decide which flood-protection projects deserve national funding, and would household protection be considered an essential infrastructure priority?

The Opportunity Party

Approach: A dedicated national climate-resilience fund and a more explicit framework for flood insurance and managed retreat.

Opportunity has published a particularly specific climate-adaptation programme.

Its proposals include:

• A $5 billion Climate Resilience Fund.
• $500 million within that fund for nature-based solutions.
• A National Insurance Support Framework for coastal and flood-prone communities.
• Better coordination of hazard information through the Natural Hazards Commission.
• Clearer climate-risk information for new homes, mortgages and insurance.
• Requiring roads and bridges to accommodate heavier rainfall and flooding. Climate ActionMP candidates address flood resilience

What this could mean for your household

• A possible new source of funding for Hawke's Bay flood infrastructure.
• More explicit consideration of insurance availability and affordability.
• Greater transparency about the future risks associated with individual properties.
• Potentially better arrangements for families who ultimately cannot remain in high-risk areas.

The important unresolved details are how the $5 billion would be financed and distributed, how much would reach Hawke's Bay, and what support would be available to homeowners who want to stay and protect their properties.

The question to put to Opportunity: How much of the proposed fund would be available for existing homes on the Heretaunga Plains, and what would the insurance-support framework actually guarantee?

3. Side-by-side comparison

This table distinguishes published policy from local candidate statements. It does not rate the parties or imply that a proposal has already been funded.

Party	Long-term flood protection	Insurance and household support
National	Existing Crown-funded engineering programme; national hazard information	No specific new household flood-insurance commitment identified
Labour	Locally led adaptation with central-government backing	No specific new flood-insurance scheme identified
Greens	Dedicated adaptation funding, nature-based solutions, community and iwi involvement	Proposed expansion of Natural Hazards Commission coverage
NZ First	Central investment and stronger infrastructure accountability	No specific household insurance commitment identified
ACT	Maintenance, cost-effective engineering and infrastructure prioritisation	No specific household insurance commitment identified
Opportunity	Proposed $5bn resilience fund and resilient infrastructure	Proposed national insurance-support framework

Sources: party policy documents and Hawke's Bay candidate responses. Climate ActionClimate Action: Resilience + AdaptationPreparing before disaster strikesMP candidates address flood resilienceLabour's 2026 Election Policies2026 Election Policy

4. What do these policies mean for insurance and the value of your home?

This is arguably the most financially important part of the comparison for an existing homeowner.

hbrc.govt.nz

The Reserve Bank's May 2026 Financial Stability Report identifies three growing concerns:

• Insurance affordability.
• Underinsurance.
• Insurers withdrawing from some areas with elevated flood exposure.

It reports that the national average annual residential building insurance premium is approximately $2,900, although this is not a Hawke's Bay-specific figure. Financial Stability Report May 2026 - Reserve Bank of New Zealand

There is another important detail: New Zealand's Natural Hazards Commission does not generally cover flood damage to the house itself. Its natural-hazards cover includes certain residential land damage caused by floods, but building flood damage is generally dealt with through private insurance. Natural Hazards Commission Regulatory System05
The Natural Hazards Commission
Insurance for

That creates a difficult situation:

1. Flood risk increases.
2. Insurers adjust premiums to reflect the risk.
3. Homeowners face higher costs or reduced insurance choices.
4. Property values and mortgage affordability can come under pressure.
5. Families may struggle to afford the improvements needed to reduce their exposure.

How different policy approaches could affect you

Policy approach	Potential household consequence
More stopbanks and drainage investment	Reduced physical risk, potentially supporting long-term insurability
Government-funded household adaptation	Less financial pressure when raising floors, improving drainage or protecting homes
Expanded public disaster insurance	Potentially more predictable financial protection, depending on eligibility and cover
Better flood-risk disclosure	More certainty, but potentially greater pressure on property values
Managed retreat support	Financial assistance if remaining in a particular location becomes unsafe
Greater reliance on council funding	Potentially higher rates for local flood-protection projects

One caution: stronger stopbanks do not automatically mean cheaper insurance. Insurers consider residual risk, including the possibility of overtopping, breach, surface-water flooding and drainage failure.

The Climate Change Commission's 2026 assessment also warns that households with fewer financial resources will find it harder to strengthen homes, relocate or absorb higher insurance costs. 2026 National climate change risk assessment :: Climate Change Commission

5. The school-age children factor

I would give this issue particular attention when examining party policies.

Flood resilience isn't just about protecting the building your family sleeps in.

For a family with children, there are at least five additional considerations.

1. School safety and continuity

• Are schools adequately protected against flooding?
• Are evacuation routes reliable?
• Can children get home if roads are closed?
• Are schools equipped to operate during prolonged infrastructure disruption?

2. Transport infrastructure

A flood-resilient home is less useful if surrounding roads and bridges are impassable. The Awatoto bridge issue is particularly relevant because it concerns the ability of floodwater to move through the wider Heretaunga system. MP candidates address flood resilience

3. Family financial resilience

Higher insurance premiums, excess payments, temporary accommodation and unexpected repairs can compete directly with education, savings and everyday family expenses.

4. Community recovery

Children benefit from stable communities, functioning sports facilities, libraries, playgrounds and local services. Recovery funding should include these, not just roads and bridges.

5. Long-term property security

You may want to keep your home for another 15–25 years. Your children could grow up there. You need to know whether the government has a credible plan for protecting that property over that timeframe.

6. Five questions I would use to assess every party

Rather than relying on general election slogans, these are the specific questions I would put to the parties and their Hawke's Bay candidates.

1. Will you guarantee long-term central-government funding for the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme?

Ask for a commitment covering at least 10–20 years, including maintenance and future upgrades.

2. Who pays when the existing flood-protection system needs upgrading?

Will central government cover a substantial share, or will local homeowners and ratepayers carry the cost?

3. What will you do about flood-insurance affordability?

Would you establish a public insurance mechanism, provide household adaptation grants or help fund protective building improvements?

4. What happens if a property becomes difficult or impossible to insure?

Would the government provide financial support, protection upgrades, voluntary buyouts or managed retreat assistance?

5. How will you protect schools, roads and essential community facilities?

Ask for actual infrastructure commitments, not just general promises about disaster preparedness.

I would also ask candidates whether they support implementing the recommendations of the 2024 Hawke's Bay Independent Flood Review, which identified 47 recommendations covering stopbanks, river management, forecasting, land-use planning, community resilience and funding. Reducing Flood Risk

7. Where to investigate the actual risk to your property

Party policy is only one part of your decision. Your individual property's exposure is equally important.

These are particularly useful local resources:

• Hawke's Bay Regional Council — flood hazard mapping, river levels, drainage schemes and the Heretaunga Plains resilience review.
• Hastings District Council — property information, LIM reports, district planning and local infrastructure.
• Natural Hazards Commission — information about natural-disaster insurance and claims.
• Ministry for the Environment — national adaptation and managed-retreat policy.
• Policy.nz 2026 election comparison — compare parties' wider policy commitments.

For your own property, I would specifically investigate:

• Whether it is within the existing Heretaunga Plains flood-protection scheme.
• Its mapped river-flood and surface-water risk.
• Whether it was affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
• Whether the local scheme's proposed improvements change its risk profile.
• Whether your insurer has assessed the property using updated flood modelling.

8. My overall assessment of the policy differences

There are several distinct approaches emerging from the 2026 campaign.

Infrastructure investment and delivery

National's existing programme, Labour's locally led approach and NZ First's infrastructure commitments all address the need for physical protection, although their future funding commitments differ in specificity.

Long-term climate adaptation

The Greens propose dedicated public adaptation funding and nature-based solutions, while Opportunity proposes a substantial national resilience fund.

Household financial protection

Opportunity and the Greens have more explicit published proposals concerning insurance and adaptation support. However, the practical benefits depend on the final funding, eligibility and insurance arrangements.

Community and family resilience

The crucial test across all parties is whether their plans protect not only individual properties but also schools, transport routes, neighbourhoods and local services.

I would be careful not to treat a $200 million existing government programme, a proposed $5 billion national fund and a general commitment to climate adaptation as directly comparable promises. They have different scopes, funding status and intended beneficiaries.

My suggested voting test: Look beyond who promises the strongest stopbanks. Ask who has a credible, funded plan for keeping existing Heretaunga Plains homes safe, insurable and financially sustainable over the next 20 years.

That is the issue that will most directly affect your family's housing security and the choices available to your children as they grow up.

One additional point: I have concentrated on parties for which I could establish relevant 2026 policy or Hawke's Bay candidate statements. I would not assume that the absence of a specific commitment from another party means it opposes flood protection.

A useful next step

I can also put together a more localised assessment for your part of the Heretaunga Plains, comparing the flood risks, existing protection projects, insurance concerns and potential household costs. That would help distinguish the policies that sound good nationally from those that could actually make a difference to your home and family.