Hawke’s Bay flood protection: what is funded, what is being built, and what is still a proposal?

As at 30 October 2026, there is an important distinction for Heretaunga Plains homeowners: Hawke’s Bay has a substantial government-funded flood-protection programme already under construction, but that does not mean every part of the Plains will receive the same level of protection, or that all longer-term flood-risk solutions have been funded.

The central programme is the North Island Weather Events (NIWE) flood-resilience programme, established following Cyclone Gabrielle.

The headline funding

$256.5 million

Total Hawke’s Bay programme investment.

Central government

$209 million

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

$47.5 million

Central government funding is managed through National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF). These are programme-wide figures, not money available for individual homeowners.

Restoring Flood ResilienceŌmāhu flood project reaches the finish line | News Archive

The Regional Council says all construction works in its community flood-resilience programme are intended to have begun by the end of 2026, with completion planned by mid-2027. Restoring Flood Resilience

1. Funded or already completed works on and around the Heretaunga Plains

These are the projects I would pay particular attention to as a Heretaunga Plains homeowner.

Completed Ōhiti Road | Ōmāhu flood-resilience project

• Main construction completed in August 2026.
• Cost: approximately $10 million.
• Built 2.1 km of new and upgraded stopbanks and bunds beside Ohiwia Stream.
• Raised approximately 800 metres of Ōhiti and Taihape roads.
• Includes drainage, culvert and erosion-protection improvements.
• Designed for a 1% Annual Exceedance Probability flood, with additional freeboard.
• Funding: 75% central government, 25% HBRC.
• Responsible: Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, with central government funding and local construction contractors.

This is a particularly significant example because 11 previously Category 2C homes had their classifications removed following the completed protection works. Ōmāhu flood project reaches the finish lineŌmāhu flood project reaches the finish line | News Archive

Completed Waiohiki stopbank

• A new one-kilometre stopbank along the Tūtaekurī River, from Napier Golf Course towards Redclyffe Bridge.
• Completed in May 2026.
• Designed to the 1% AEP standard.
• 45 properties previously classified Category 2C were moved to Category 1.
• Responsible: Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, working with landowners, mana whenua and contractors.

Waiohiki stopbank complete in major flood resilience milestone | News Archive

Under construction Pākōwhai flood-protection project

This is one of the more substantial projects for the Plains.

Pākōwhai sits between the Ngaruroro and Tūtaekurī river systems. The project is intended to provide an additional line of defence if existing river stopbanks are overwhelmed.

The planned works include:

• Approximately 5.5 km of stopbank and flood wall along the Tūtaekurī-Waimate Stream.
• Another approximately 3 km of stopbank and flood wall between Links Road and State Highway 2.
• Realignment of approximately 500 metres of the stream.
• A spillway to help manage excess water in a controlled manner.
• Additional 500 mm freeboard in the design.

The design uses the post-Cyclone Gabrielle flood modelling and targets a 1% AEP standard.

In July 2026, HBRC confirmed that 73 properties had their Category 2C classifications removed as construction advanced.

Funding and delivery:

• Funded through the NIWE programme.
• 75% central government and 25% HBRC.
• HBRC awarded the construction contract to Hick Bros Civil Construction in May 2026, with a contract value of approximately $18.23 million.

Responsible: HBRC is the project owner and delivery authority; Hick Bros is the construction contractor. PākōwhaiProgress for Pākōwhai: Homes cleared from Category 2C as protection works advance | WhirinakiGETS | Hawke's Bay Regional Council - HBRC Pākōwhai Southern Stopbank Flood Mitigation Tender

Under construction Ōmāhu (Chesterhope Upper) stopbank upgrade

This is separate from the completed Ōhiti Road | Ōmāhu project.

• Construction commenced in September 2026.
• Approximately 3 km of stopbank on the true-left bank of the Ngaruroro River will be raised and widened.
• The work runs from the Ohiwia/Okawa Stream downstream towards the State Highway 2 Ngaruroro River bridge.
• Designed against the post-cyclone 1% AEP flood standard.
• The Council expected completion by Christmas 2026.

Responsible: HBRC, through the NIWE-funded flood-protection programme. Construction underway on Ōmāhu stopbank upgrade | Ōmāhu stopbank upgradeRestoring Flood Resilience

Enabling works underway Brookfields Lower stopbank upgrade

This is important for the lower Heretaunga Plains, particularly around Meeanee and Awatoto.

• Approximately 3.6 km of stopbank along the Tūtaekurī River.
• Raising and strengthening existing sections.
• Reshaping the river-facing slope.
• Reviewing access ramps to reduce erosion and overtopping risks.
• Enabling works began in September 2026.
• Main construction was expected to begin in October 2026, with completion targeted for April 2027.

The upgrade responds to revised flood modelling following Cyclone Gabrielle, which identified that the existing stopbank was no longer meeting the required regional standard.

Responsible: HBRC, with Goodmans as the construction contractor. Brookfields Lower stopbank upgrade

2. Other funded regional projects

These are not all directly on the Heretaunga Plains, but they matter when assessing the wider regional flood-protection investment.

Project	Position at October 2026	Responsible
Havelock North	Construction underway	Hastings District Council
Whirinaki	Construction underway	HBRC
Pōrangahau	Construction underway in stages	HBRC
Waipawa stopbank	Construction about to begin	HBRC
Wairoa flood mitigation	Separate Crown-funded programme	HBRC
Pump station upgrades	Part of NIWE programme	HBRC
Regional telemetry improvements	Funded programme	HBRC

A few important distinctions:

• Havelock North: This is delivered by Hastings District Council, rather than directly by HBRC, although it sits within the wider regional programme.
• Pōrangahau: Its northern flood-protection works are progressing, with additional southern-side protection being developed for the marae, urupā, Kaumātua Flats and private homes. The project has a stated budget of $13 million.
• Wairoa: Has a separate $70 million Crown funding allocation, rather than the normal 75:25 NIWE arrangement.
• Pump stations and telemetry: These are particularly important because flood protection depends on more than stopbank height. Drainage capacity, pumping and timely river-level information also matter.

Restoring Flood ResiliencePōrangahauHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | WaiohikiCyclone Recovery Funding Hawke's Bay

The important point is that this is not simply a collection of election announcements. There are actual government funding commitments, awarded construction contracts, completed works and projects with machinery already on site.

3. What is still a future option rather than funded construction?

This is arguably the most important part of the picture for someone considering their 2026 vote.

Reimagining the Heretaunga Plains flood-protection scheme

Future investment decisions

HBRC has been reviewing the long-term future of its two major flood-protection schemes:

• Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme.
• Upper Tukituki Flood Control Scheme.

The project is called Reimagining Flood Resilience.

It considers whether the existing approach to flood protection should change, including:

• Whether stopbanks need to be raised, strengthened or extended.
• Whether additional floodways or other flood-management infrastructure are needed.
• How river management and drainage should be improved.
• How much protection communities should pay for.
• How to balance the cost of protection against the remaining flood risk.

The findings were presented to HBRC councillors on 29 July 2026, following an almost year-long community engagement process.

The Council says these findings will inform future decisions, including its 2027–2037 Long Term Plan.

This distinction matters: the review has happened, and recommendations have been developed, but that does not mean every recommended engineering project has an approved budget or construction timetable.

Responsible: HBRC, which owns and manages the regional flood-protection schemes. Community feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | HomeReducing Flood Risk

Future strengthening of existing flood defences

The existing Heretaunga Plains scheme covers the low-lying areas associated with the Tūtaekurī, Ngaruroro and lower Tukituki rivers.

Much of the existing scheme is designed around the 1% AEP standard. Some densely populated areas have higher standards, including the Taradale stopbank upgrade, which has a 0.2% AEP design standard.

The Council's review recognises that the existing system needs to be reassessed against:

• Climate change.
• Changing river channels and riverbed levels.
• The consequences of extreme rainfall.
• The affordability of maintaining and improving protection.

The future level of investment is therefore a decision still to be made, rather than an automatic commitment to upgrade every part of the Plains.

August 2025Reducing Flood Risk

Further flood-scheme reviews and smaller infrastructure projects

HBRC is also reviewing 23 smaller flood-protection, drainage and river/stream schemes across Hawke’s Bay.

These reviews may identify further works, but they should not be confused with projects that already have committed construction funding.

Potential areas of improvement include:

• Drainage and pump capacity.
• Stopbank maintenance and strengthening.
• River-channel and gravel management.
• Vegetation management.
• Flood forecasting and warning systems.

The Council has also been working through 47 recommendations from the Hawke’s Bay Independent Flood Review, commissioned after Cyclone Gabrielle. Six initial priority projects were approved in December 2024.

Responsible: HBRC, working with district councils, mana whenua and central government where appropriate. Reducing Flood Risk

4. Who actually pays, and what does this mean for homeowners?

This deserves particular attention because a government-funded construction project does not necessarily mean homeowners escape the ongoing costs.

The existing Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme had annual operating costs of approximately $5.5 million (excluding GST) in 2024–25.

Its funding arrangement was:

• 70% from targeted rates paid by scheme ratepayers.
• 30% from general rates and reserves.

The Regional Council has also indicated that some individual new flood-protection projects will have their own ongoing maintenance costs and rating arrangements.

For example, the Pōrangahau project is expected to cost approximately $63,000 annually to operate and maintain, with 70% coming from targeted rates and 30% from general rates.

August 2025Pōrangahau

For your household, there are three separate financial questions:

1. Construction costs: Is the government paying for the initial infrastructure, or will local ratepayers have to contribute more?
2. Ongoing costs: Who pays for inspection, repairs, pumping, stopbank maintenance and future upgrades?
3. Residual property risk: Even after the works, will insurers consider the property insurable at reasonable premiums and excesses?

The third question is particularly important. A 1% AEP design standard does not mean a property is guaranteed protection from flooding. It describes the probability of a flood event of the design magnitude occurring in any given year.

It also does not automatically establish that every property behind the stopbank has the same flood exposure. Local drainage, groundwater, overland flow paths and the possibility of infrastructure failure all matter.

5. Who is accountable for delivery?

It helps to separate political funding decisions from the organisations actually responsible for the work.

Organisation	Main responsibility
Central government	National funding commitments and policy
National Infrastructure Funding and Financing	Administration of the NIWE funding arrangements
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council	Regional flood schemes, engineering, project delivery, river management and maintenance
Hastings District Council	Delivery of the Havelock North project and local district responsibilities
Napier City Council	Local infrastructure and district responsibilities
Construction contractors	Physical construction under council contracts
Insurance companies	Individual property underwriting, premiums, exclusions and excesses

An important accountability point: the Regional Council bears the cost of projects exceeding their allocated NIWE budgets under the programme arrangements described by HBRC. Restoring Flood ResilienceCyclone Recovery Funding Hawke's Bay

6. What should you look for in the 2026 general election?

I would distinguish between three things when assessing political claims.

• Existing commitments: Money already allocated, contracts awarded and work underway. These should not be presented as entirely new election promises.
• Future investment commitments: Additional funding for the 2027–2037 flood-protection programme, including the outcome of HBRC's Reimagining Flood Resilience work.
• New political promises: Any additional national funding, changes to insurance arrangements, household protection subsidies or new flood infrastructure that a party proposes.

I would particularly look for clear answers to the following questions.

Issue	Question worth putting to candidates
Future flood protection	Will you fund additional Heretaunga Plains stopbank upgrades beyond the current NIWE programme?
Long-term funding	Will central government contribute to future major flood-protection improvements, or will local ratepayers carry the cost?
Insurance	What will you do about insurance affordability and availability in flood-exposed communities?
Household protection	Will there be assistance for property-level flood protection, such as barriers, drainage improvements and raising vulnerable infrastructure?
River management	What investment will be made in gravel management, river maintenance and flood capacity?
Climate resilience	Will you fund protection based on future climate conditions rather than simply restoring historical standards?
Accountability	Will you publish independent assessments of whether completed projects deliver their intended protection?

These are questions about policy commitments, not assumptions about what any particular party will do.

7. The most useful documents to examine before voting

I would concentrate on these original sources rather than relying on campaign advertising.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

The most important source for actual construction progress and future regional plans.

• Restoring Flood Resilience – project register

• Reducing Flood Risk in Hawke’s Bay

• July 2026 Reimagining Flood Resilience outcomes

  Central government

• Hawke’s Bay cyclone recovery funding arrangements

• Hawke’s Bay Flood Protection Works – legislation

  Hastings District Council

• Cyclone recovery funding and council responsibilities

My overall assessment

There is a meaningful amount of flood infrastructure being delivered across Hawke’s Bay, and the distinction between promises and actual construction is important.

For Heretaunga Plains residents, I would focus particularly on:

1. The completed Ōhiti Road | Ōmāhu and Waiohiki works.
2. The Pākōwhai flood-protection project.
3. The Ōmāhu and Brookfields Lower stopbank upgrades.
4. The outcome of the longer-term Heretaunga Plains flood-scheme review.
5. Who will fund the next generation of improvements after the current government funding programme finishes.

One issue I would not overlook is the future cost of protection. Your children may live in the same house for decades. The important question is not just whether the current government has funded improvements, but whether there is a credible, affordable plan to maintain and progressively improve protection over the next 20–30 years.

And no flood scheme, however well engineered, eliminates the need for effective warnings and household evacuation planning.

A useful next step: I can also examine the Heretaunga Plains scheme in more depth, particularly the Ngaruroro, Tūtaekurī and Tukituki catchments, and separate the specific future engineering options from the projects already funded. That would help establish what protection your part of the Plains might realistically expect, rather than relying on region-wide announcements.

Hawke’s Bay flood protection: what is funded, what is being built, and what remains undecided?

Research position: 31 October 2026

For a homeowner on the Heretaunga Plains, there are two quite different questions to consider when assessing the 2026 election:

1. What flood protection has already been funded and is being delivered?
2. What happens to the much larger flood-control system protecting Hastings, Havelock North, Napier and the surrounding plains over the next 10–30 years?

The distinction matters. Hawke's Bay has secured a substantial government-funded construction programme following Cyclone Gabrielle. However, that does not mean the long-term future of the Heretaunga Plains flood-control scheme has been decided or funded.

My central finding is that the immediate recovery projects are substantially committed, but the next generation of large-scale flood protection remains undecided.

I'll distinguish between government commitments, council-funded work, projects under construction and proposals that have not yet received final investment approval.

1. The money already committed

$256.5 million

Hawke's Bay North Island Weather Events (NIWE) flood resilience programme

$209m

Central government

$47.5m

Hawke's Bay Regional Council

Approximately 81.3% central government and 18.7% regional council.

Source: HBRC's published programme figures. Individual project funding arrangements are generally approximately 75% Crown and 25% HBRC.

This programme is part of the Government's wider North Island Weather Events recovery programme.

The funding is administered through National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF).

HBRC is responsible for delivering most of the regional projects. Hastings District Council delivers the Havelock North project.

An important financial qualification: HBRC says funding is time-sensitive and it bears the cost of projects exceeding their allocated budgets. This means a funded project does not automatically mean unlimited funding for future improvements.

Sources: Restoring Flood ResilienceHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | WaiohikiHawke’s Bay Regional Council adopts Annual Report for 2025-26 | News Archive

2. Funded projects: completed or under construction

These are the projects I would distinguish from general political announcements. They have identifiable funding, defined scopes and responsible delivery organisations.

Project	Position at October 2026	Delivery responsibility
Ōhiti Road / Ōmāhu	Main construction complete	HBRC
Waiohiki	Complete	HBRC
Pākōwhai	Under construction	HBRC
Pōrangahau	Under construction	HBRC
Whirinaki	Final works / next phase	HBRC
Havelock North	Under construction	Hastings District Council
Waipawa	Construction commencing	HBRC
Ōmāhu Upper and Lower stopbanks	Construction underway	HBRC
Brookfields Lower stopbank	Funded programme	HBRC
Pump station upgrades	Planning and enabling	HBRC
River telemetry upgrades	Underway	HBRC

Sources: Restoring Flood ResilienceConstruction to start on Waipawa stopbank upgrade | News ArchiveHawke’s Bay Regional Council adopts Annual Report for 2025-26 | News ArchiveTelemetry Upgrades

The individual projects

1. Ōhiti Road / Ōmāhu

Main construction complete

• Approximately $10 million.
• 2.1 km of new and upgraded stopbanks and bunds.
• Approximately 800 metres of road raising, drainage and erosion protection.
• Designed around a 1% annual exceedance probability flood, with additional freeboard.
• Eleven previously Category 2C properties had their risk category removed.

Delivery: HBRC, with CHB Earthmovers and Fulton Hogan involved in construction.

Ōmāhu flood project reaches the finish line | News ArchiveŌhiti Road | Ōmāhu

2. Waiohiki

Complete – May 2026

• One-kilometre new stopbank along the Tūtaekurī River.
• Runs from Napier Golf Course to Redclyffe Bridge.
• Designed to the 1% AEP standard.
• 45 previously Category 2C properties had their risk category removed.

Delivery: HBRC.

Waiohiki stopbank complete in major flood resilience milestone | News ArchiveHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

3. Pākōwhai

Construction underway

• An 8.5 km flood resilience network.
• Upgrades to existing stopbanks.
• New stopbanks and flood walls along the Tūtaekurī-Waimate Stream.
• Approximately 500 metres of stream realignment.
• Designed to the 1% AEP standard, with 500 mm additional freeboard and a controlled spillway.
• Construction is scheduled through to the second quarter of 2027.

Delivery: HBRC.

This is particularly relevant to the plains because it creates an additional line of defence if the existing Tūtaekurī and Ngaruroro stopbanks are overwhelmed.

PākōwhaiPākōwhai

4. Pōrangahau

Construction underway

• Approximately $13 million.
• 1.7 km of stopbanks and flood walls.
• Phase one covers the northern side of the river.
• A second phase addresses the marae, urupā, Kaumātua Flats and nearby homes.

Funding for the second phase is in place, although designs and land-access arrangements are still being worked through.

Delivery: HBRC, with Galbraith Earthmovers as contractor.

PōrangahauPōrangahau

5. Whirinaki

Final works and second phase

• New residential and industrial stopbanks.
• Improved drainage and road raising.
• Intended to reduce risk to 38 previously Category 2C households as well as Pan Pac's industrial facilities.
• The main residential works were substantially advanced by August 2026.
• A further industrial-area phase around Pan Pac's log yard is planned for completion by April 2027.

Delivery: HBRC, with contractors including Fulton Hogan.

Whirinaki

6. Havelock North

Under construction

• One of the seven major post-Gabrielle community resilience projects.
• Intended to reduce flood risk to properties affected by the cyclone.
• This project is the exception to the regional council delivery model.

Delivery: Hastings District Council, rather than HBRC.

Restoring Flood ResilienceHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | WaiohikiHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

Existing stopbank upgrades on the plains

These are important because protecting the plains is not just about constructing new stopbanks around individual communities. Existing infrastructure also needs to be brought up to date.

• Ōmāhu Upper and Lower: Approximately 2.8 km of existing stopbank along the Ngaruroro River is being upgraded. The project includes additional freeboard and improvements to the river-facing slope. Enabling construction began in September 2026, with Galbraith Earthmovers undertaking the work. The main construction phase is expected to finish around Christmas 2026.
• Waipawa: A further stopbank upgrade has been approved within the programme. HBRC announced construction commencement in October 2026, with HES Earthmoving appointed.
• Brookfields Lower: An upgrade near Meeanee and Awatoto is included in the funded programme. It is intended to bring the existing stopbank up to the regional standard.

Delivery responsibility for all three: HBRC.

Sources: Ōmāhu stopbank upgradeConstruction to start on Waipawa stopbank upgrade | News ArchiveConstruction underway on Ōmāhu stopbank upgrade | Ōmāhu stopbank upgradeHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

Pump stations and flood-warning systems

These are less visible than stopbanks but potentially very important to homeowners.

Pump station upgrades

HBRC is upgrading the Awatoto and Pākōwhai pump stations. These installations move water out of low-lying drainage areas and back into rivers.

Planned improvements include:

• Greater pumping capacity and reliability.
• Backup generators.
• Seismic strengthening.
• Better remote monitoring.
• Reduced fish mortality.

By May 2026, preliminary designs were being reviewed and consent preparation was underway. Unison was also upgrading electricity connections.

Delivery: HBRC, with specialist contractors.

Pump StationsRegional Council launches pump station upgrade programme | News & Media

River telemetry upgrades

The regional council is upgrading monitoring equipment and communications across the region.

By September 2026:

• 47 sites were included in the upgraded programme.
• 31 site upgrades were complete.
• Eleven more were at least 80% complete.

The aim is better rainfall and river-level information, more reliable warnings and faster responses.

Delivery: HBRC.

Telemetry Upgrades

3. What is not yet funded or decided?

This is arguably the most important part of the question for someone voting in 2026.

The existing Heretaunga Plains Flood Control and Drainage Scheme is a much larger system than the individual post-Gabrielle projects.

It covers approximately 39,000 hectares and provides flood-control and drainage benefits to a population of around 127,000–138,000 people, depending on the council's published scheme description.

It includes:

• 155 km of stopbanks and deflection banks.
• 577 km of rivers, streams and drainage channels.
• 18 permanent pump stations.
• Floodgates, culverts, control gates and other hydraulic structures.
• Riverbank planting and erosion protection.

HBRC has managed this scheme since 1989.

Major SchemesResilient River Communities

8

The Reimagining Flood Resilience project

This is the major future planning exercise.

Following Cyclone Gabrielle and the independent flood review, HBRC began reconsidering how the Heretaunga Plains and Upper Tukituki schemes should operate over coming decades.

The council's work considers questions such as:

• Should existing stopbanks be raised or strengthened?
• Should parts of the system be designed to withstand larger floods?
• Should there be more room for rivers to spread safely?
• Should additional floodways and water-storage areas be developed?
• How should flooding be managed when water exceeds stopbank capacity?
• How much should ratepayers contribute to higher protection standards?
• Could natural infrastructure, wetlands and land-use changes help reduce flood risk?

The discussion includes potential improvements to existing stopbanks and more substantial changes to the way rivers are managed.

Crucially, these are not all approved construction projects.

On 7 August 2026, HBRC confirmed that the Reimagining Flood Resilience project's findings had been presented to councillors, but that no decisions had yet been made on the future flood-protection options.

Community feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | HomeAugust 2025

What happens next?

1. 2026 – Options development

   HBRC considers community feedback, engineering advice and potential improvements.

2. 2027 – Long Term Plan consultation

   The council intends to put future options, costs and trade-offs to the public.

3. 2027–2037 – Long Term Plan

   The council will make decisions about its future investment programme, subject to consultation and adoption.

The 2027–2037 Long Term Plan is the stated decision-making pathway, not an existing commitment to build every proposed improvement.

Community feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | HomeHawke’s Bay community to help shape flood resilience future | News Archive

Other future stopbank projects worth watching

There is also an important distinction between the immediate NIWE programme and longer-term improvements that HBRC has investigated.

HBRC's published Resilient River Communities programme identifies several Heretaunga Plains locations for potential upgrades to a 1-in-500-year standard.

Location	Work identified	Status
Moteo	Stopbank upgrade	Detailed design
Omaranui	Stopbank upgrade	Detailed design
East Clive	Stopbank upgrade	Consent stage
Raupare Upper and Lower	Stopbank upgrades	Detailed design
Chesterhope Upper	Stopbank upgrade	Detailed design
Brookfields Lower	Stopbank upgrade	Detailed design
Pākōwhai Park	Stopbank upgrade	Detailed design

These are proposed future works, not seven fully funded construction contracts.

HBRC has described them as separate future upgrade works. The fact that a project has reached detailed design or consent preparation does not mean construction funding has been approved.

There is also a useful historical example: recommissioning the Maraenui stopbank was considered under an earlier modified scheme programme, but that work did not proceed.

Resilient River CommunitiesResilient River Communities

Who decides and pays?

• HBRC develops the engineering options, manages the existing flood schemes and decides its investment priorities.
• HBRC councillors decide regional spending through the Long Term Plan and annual budgets.
• Targeted and general rates are important sources of ongoing funding.
• Central government may contribute to particular projects, but additional Crown funding should not be assumed until it is actually committed.

4. What does this mean for insurance and household costs?

There are several financial issues worth separating.

A. A stopbank does not guarantee insurance affordability

A stopbank designed for a 1% annual exceedance probability event is designed around a flood with a 1% chance of being equalled or exceeded in any given year.

It does not mean:

• A flood can only happen once every 100 years.
• Your property cannot flood.
• Surface-water flooding is eliminated.
• Your insurance company must offer cover.
• Your insurance premium will automatically decrease.

HBRC itself acknowledges that no flood-protection system can eliminate flooding risk.

B. New flood modelling is relevant to insurers

In May 2026, Hastings and Napier property owners within the newly modelled 100-year flood hazard area were sent letters.

HBRC explains that insurers assess individual properties using a range of information, including their own models and international reinsurance information.

The council recommends that homeowners speak directly to their insurers rather than assuming a particular outcome from the council's flood maps.

Flood hazard modellingRestoring Flood Resilience

C. There is a continuing cost to maintaining flood protection

The initial construction funding is only one part of the cost.

The Heretaunga Plains scheme has ongoing operating expenses, including:

• Stopbank inspections and maintenance.
• River and gravel management.
• Pump station operation.
• Drainage-channel maintenance.
• Floodgate and culvert maintenance.
• Vegetation and erosion management.

HBRC's August 2025 discussion document reported an annual operating cost of approximately $5.5 million excluding GST for the Heretaunga Plains scheme in 2024–25.

Approximately 70% was paid through targeted rates, with the remainder funded through general rates and reserves.

August 2025Major Schemes

This is why the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan matters to household finances. A decision to increase the level of protection across the plains could require substantial additional investment, with consequences for rates.

D. Who pays if a new flood protection scheme is built?

The answer depends on the project and the funding agreement.

For example, the Pōrangahau project has a specific maintenance funding arrangement:

• 70% through targeted rates paid by property owners.
• 30% through the general rate.

Its anticipated annual operating and maintenance cost is approximately $63,000.

That is an example of how ongoing costs can be distributed, not a universal formula that automatically applies to every Heretaunga Plains property.

PōrangahauMajor Schemes

5. What should you look for in the 2026 general election?

One important qualification: the $256.5 million NIWE programme is an existing government commitment, not a new election promise.

I have not found sufficiently substantiated, specific 2026 party commitments to attribute additional Heretaunga Plains flood-protection construction funding to individual parties. It would be misleading to describe HBRC's future options as promises made by the parties contesting the election.

For evaluating candidates, I would separate the following issues.

Election issue	What needs to be established
Existing NIWE funding	Will the existing programme be completed on time and within budget?
Further Crown investment	Will central government fund additional plains-wide flood protection?
Higher protection standards	Will the Government support investment beyond the existing 1-in-100-year standard?
Insurance affordability	What, if anything, will be done to address growing flood-related insurance costs?
Local rates	Will additional protection be funded by central government, regional rates or targeted property-owner contributions?
Flood management	Will government support floodways, river corridors, water storage and nature-based solutions?
Emergency preparedness	What improvements will be made to forecasting, warnings and evacuation arrangements?

I would also pay attention to whether candidates distinguish between funding the construction of new assets and funding their ongoing maintenance.

A promise to build something is not necessarily a commitment to pay for its maintenance over the following 30 years.

6. Who is actually accountable?

There are several organisations involved, and it is worth knowing which one to approach about which decision.

Organisation	Main responsibility
Central government	National funding commitments and recovery policy
National Infrastructure Funding and Financing	Administration of the Crown's NIWE investment
Hawke's Bay Regional Council	Regional flood schemes, rivers, stopbanks, drainage, pumps and most new flood infrastructure
Hastings District Council	Havelock North project, district planning, property information and local emergency responsibilities
Insurers	Individual property underwriting, premiums, excesses and cover decisions
Civil Defence Emergency Management	Regional emergency preparedness, warnings and response

The most important organisation for the long-term Heretaunga Plains investment decision is HBRC.

Its councillors, rather than the MPs elected in the general election, ultimately decide regional council investment priorities and rates through the Long Term Plan.

National MPs can influence central government funding, legislation and national policy, but they do not directly approve HBRC's annual flood-control expenditure.

7. The questions I would put to your local election candidates

Given your concerns about protecting your home, insurance and the financial future of your children, I would ask candidates to answer these questions in writing.

1. What additional central government funding will you commit to for the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme beyond the existing $256.5 million programme?

2. Do you support increasing the existing scheme's protection standard from 1-in-100-year events to 1-in-500-year events in strategically important areas?

3. Will you support government contributions towards the cost of upgrading existing stopbanks, rather than leaving most additional costs to regional ratepayers?

4. What will you do to address the effect of flood-risk classifications and flood modelling on household insurance availability, premiums and excesses?

5. Will you support additional investment in drainage, pumping stations, floodways and emergency water storage, as well as stopbanks?

6. What financial commitment will you make to ensure flood protection infrastructure is properly maintained after construction?

These questions help distinguish an actual financial commitment from a general statement that flood protection is important.

8. Where I would concentrate attention as a Heretaunga Plains homeowner

Three separate decisions will affect your household

1. The immediate protection programme

   Is the existing NIWE construction programme being completed, and does it improve the protection of your particular catchment?

2. The 2027–2037 regional investment decision

   What additional flood protection will HBRC actually fund, what standard will it target, and how much will it cost ratepayers?

3. Your individual property's residual risk

   What does the latest flood modelling say about your property, including surface water, river flooding, drainage and the possibility of stopbank overtopping?

There are two particularly useful council resources:

• HBRC – Community feedback helps shape the future of flood resilience. This explains the next stage of the Reimagining project.
• HBRC – Flood hazard modelling. This provides access to the updated flood-hazard information and guidance for property owners.

My overall assessment

The good news is that Hawke's Bay is not starting from scratch. There is a substantial, identifiable programme of funded infrastructure improvements, with important work already completed at Waiohiki and Ōhiti Road and further construction underway.

However, the big question for homeowners on the Heretaunga Plains is what happens after the current recovery programme.

The existing flood-control system is extensive, but the council has not yet decided what its long-term protection standard should be, which additional stopbanks should be upgraded, whether more room should be made for rivers, or how the cost should be shared.

Those decisions are expected to be worked through the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan.

That makes the 2026 election relevant: candidates' positions on central-government contributions, insurance, climate resilience and the division of costs between taxpayers and local ratepayers are worth examining carefully.

One further thing that could make this much more useful

The Heretaunga Plains are not one uniform flood-risk area. Your property's location in relation to the Ngaruroro, Tūtaekurī, Karamū and their tributaries can make a substantial difference to which works actually protect you.

If you tell me which part of the plains your home is in (for example, Hastings, Flaxmere, Bridge Pā, Pākōwhai, Twyford, Omahu, Clive or Havelock North), I can narrow this down to:

• Which existing stopbanks and pump stations protect your area.
• Which funded projects are likely to improve your catchment.
• Which proposed 1-in-500-year upgrades could be relevant.
• What remains unfunded and potentially exposes your household to future costs.

That would provide a much more meaningful basis for assessing the flood-protection commitments being discussed in the 2026 election.