Hawke’s Bay flood protection: what is funded, what is planned, and who is accountable?

For a homeowner on the Heretaunga Plains, there are three separate questions worth keeping apart when assessing flood-protection commitments ahead of the 2026 general election:

1. Is the money actually committed? An announced funding package is not necessarily the same as an approved construction budget.
2. Is the work physically underway? Design, consenting, procurement and construction are different stages.
3. Who is accountable? Central government may provide funding, but the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, local councils and infrastructure agencies can have different delivery responsibilities.

The distinction matters because the protection of homes, schools, roads, drainage systems and insurance affordability depends on the actual works delivered, not just the value of announcements.

1. The major funding already committed

The main package is the North Island Weather Events (NIWE) flood-resilience programme.

$256.5 million

Hawke’s Bay regional flood-resilience programme

$209m

Central government

$47.5m

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Approximately 81.3% central government and 18.7% regional council.

This is an existing funding commitment, not a new election promise. The Regional Council is the principal delivery organisation. The central government contribution is managed through National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF).

One important qualification: this is a programme budget, not an assurance that every possible flood-protection project on the Heretaunga Plains has been funded. The programme is time-limited, and HBRC carries the cost of expenditure exceeding allocated project budgets. Restoring Flood ResilienceHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

2. Works already funded or underway

The following is the position reported by the relevant councils in September–October 2026.

Project	Funding and delivery position	Responsible organisation
Pākōwhai	Construction underway	HBRC
Ōhiti Road / Ōmāhu	Construction underway	HBRC
Ōmāhu stopbank	Construction underway	HBRC
Waiohiki	Construction underway	HBRC
Whirinaki	Main works nearing completion	HBRC
Brookfields Lower	Enabling works underway	HBRC
Waipawa stopbank	Construction starting	HBRC
Pōrangahau	Construction underway	HBRC
Havelock North	Funded programme	Hastings District Council
Wairoa flood mitigation	Crown-funded programme	HBRC, with relevant local delivery partners

Here is what those commitments mean in practice.

A. Pākōwhai

hbrc.govt.nz

This is particularly relevant to the Heretaunga Plains.

The project involves:

• Upgrading existing stopbanks.
• Building a new 8.5 km flood-resilience network along the Tūtaekurī-Waimate Stream.
• Creating an additional line of defence if the existing Tūtaekurī and Ngaruroro defences are overwhelmed.
• Realigning approximately 500 metres of the stream.

The design includes additional freeboard and is intended to provide protection against a 1% annual exceedance probability flood.

Funding: NIWE, approximately 75.15% central government and 24.85% HBRC.

Delivery: HBRC, with construction contractors.

Timing: Construction began in May 2026, with completion forecast for the second quarter of 2027.

This is a substantial funded construction project, not simply a proposal. PākōwhaiHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

B. Ōhiti Road and Ōmāhu

hbrc.govt.nz

The Ōmāhu works are important because Cyclone Gabrielle breached the existing stopbank.

The upgrade covers approximately 2.8 km of the Ōmāhu Lower and Upper stopbank network along the Ngaruroro River.

It includes:

• Raising and widening the stopbank.
• Improving the riverside slope.
• Improving vehicle access arrangements to reduce erosion and overtopping risks.

The project design includes an additional 700 mm of freeboard.

Funding: Central government and HBRC, under the NIWE programme's stopbank-upgrade allocation.

Delivery: HBRC. Galbraith Earthmovers is the construction partner.

Latest reported position: Enabling works began in September 2026, with the main construction phase expected to finish around Christmas 2026.

Ōhiti Road is a separate but related flood-resilience project in the same programme. Its construction had already commenced by the end of 2025. Ōmāhu stopbank upgradeHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

C. Waiohiki

hbrc.govt.nz

The project includes a new approximately one-kilometre stopbank.

Construction was reported underway in December 2025, with completion initially scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.

Funding: NIWE central government and HBRC.

Delivery: HBRC.

This is an example of why it is worth checking actual completion certificates rather than relying on original target dates. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | WaiohikiRestoring Flood Resilience

D. Whirinaki

hbrc.govt.nz

The Whirinaki programme provides:

• A residential stopbank.
• An industrial stopbank.
• Improved drainage.
• Raised sections of State Highway 2 and associated road works.

It is intended to improve protection for residents and the Pan Pac industrial site.

Funding: NIWE and HBRC.

Delivery: HBRC, working with construction and roading contractors.

October 2026 position: Most of the main stopbank works were approaching practical completion. A further construction stage around the Pan Pac log yard was still to come, with completion anticipated by April 2027. WhirinakiHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

E. Brookfields Lower

hbrc.govt.nz

This involves upgrading approximately 3.6 km of stopbank along the Tūtaekurī River, on the Meeanee/Awatoto side.

Funding: NIWE and HBRC.

Delivery: HBRC, with Goodmans as construction contractor.

By September 2026, vegetation removal, site establishment and other enabling works were commencing. This is funded, but it is important not to confuse enabling works with completion of the upgraded stopbank. Brookfields Lower stopbank upgradeRestoring Flood Resilience

F. Waipawa stopbank

A further existing-stopbank upgrade is being undertaken at Waipawa.

Funding: NIWE and HBRC.

Delivery: HBRC.

The Regional Council reported on 28 October 2026 that construction was about to begin. This is a useful example of a project that has funding and is moving into construction, but should not yet be described as completed. Restoring Flood Resilience

G. Pōrangahau

This is outside the Heretaunga Plains but is part of the same regional programme.

It involves approximately 1.7 km of stopbanks, flood walls and drainage improvements. By September 2026, much of the northern-side construction was well advanced.

Funding: Approximately $13 million, with 75.15% from central government and 24.85% from HBRC.

Delivery: HBRC, with Galbraith Earthmovers.

The southern-side protection for the marae, urupā, Kaumātua Flats and private dwellings still required further design and land-access arrangements, although funding was reported as in place. PōrangahauPōrangahau

H. Havelock North

This is another important distinction in accountability.

The Havelock North flood-resilience project is part of the NIWE programme, but it is being delivered by Hastings District Council, rather than directly by HBRC.

It is therefore worth asking both councils for progress reports when assessing how the wider Heretaunga Plains are being protected. Restoring Flood ResilienceHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

I. Pump stations and monitoring systems

Flood protection is not just about stopbanks.

The NIWE programme also includes:

• Major pump-station upgrades at Pākōwhai and Awatoto (Mission).
• Region-wide telemetry improvements to monitor rainfall and river levels.
• Improvements to the infrastructure that supports drainage and flood response.

The pump-station design-and-build contract was awarded to Brian Perry Civil. HBRC is responsible for the programme.

These works matter because water can still accumulate behind stopbanks, even when the river itself does not overtop them. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | WaiohikiRestoring Flood Resilience

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

This is arguably the most important part of the picture for someone considering long-term property and insurance costs.

HBRC has completed considerable engineering investigation and design work for further upgrades to the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme. But completing a design does not mean the construction money has been allocated.

The Regional Council's September 2025 programme close-out report identified the following future upgrade locations:

Location	Work completed	What remains
Moteo	Detailed design	Construction funding and delivery
Omaranui	Detailed design	Construction funding and delivery
East Clive	Consenting work	Construction funding and delivery
Raupare Upper and Lower	Detailed design	Construction funding and delivery
Chesterhope Upper	Detailed design	Construction funding and delivery
Brookfields Lower	Detailed design	Now progressing through funded construction
Pākōwhai Park	Detailed design	Further construction decisions

The important development is that the Regional Council described these as potential future upgrades, with engineering investigations, designs and cultural assessments completed.

It also said that the findings of the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Review and Independent Flood Review would be assessed before deciding whether the existing designs needed modification.

In other words, the future works programme was not yet fully funded or approved for construction at that point. Some locations have since progressed into separately funded projects, as Brookfields and Pākōwhai illustrate. Meeting of the Hawke's Bay Regional CouncilBrookfields Lower stopbank upgradePākōwhai

What about the wider Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme?

resilientrivers.nz

The existing scheme protects a substantial part of the region:

• Approximately 39,000 hectares.
• Approximately 138,000 people.
• Much of the urban areas of Hastings, Flaxmere, Havelock North and Napier.
• The Tūtaekurī, Ngaruroro, Clive and lower Tukituki river systems.

HBRC has previously identified the need to upgrade the overall scheme to respond to changing river conditions, climate change and the lessons of Cyclone Gabrielle.

One historical target was to improve the scheme's level of service from a 1-in-100-year flood standard to a 1-in-500-year standard.

However, it would be misleading to suggest that the entire 39,000-hectare scheme has already been upgraded to that higher standard.

Some individual works have achieved the previous pre-Gabrielle 1-in-500-year benchmark. For example:

• The Taradale stopbank upgrade was completed in 2022.
• The Ngatarawa stopbank upgrade was also completed under the earlier infrastructure recovery programme.

Those completed projects should not be confused with a comprehensive upgrade of the whole Heretaunga Plains scheme. Resilient River CommunitiesMeeting of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council

4. Who is actually responsible?

There are several layers of accountability.

Organisation	Main responsibility
Central government	Provides its NIWE funding contribution and sets national funding arrangements
National Infrastructure Funding and Financing	Manages the central government's NIWE funding arrangements
Hawke's Bay Regional Council	Designs, funds its share, builds and maintains most regional flood-protection infrastructure
Hastings District Council	Delivers the Havelock North project
Wairoa District Council	Local coordination and responsibilities relating to Wairoa's flood mitigation
Contractors	Physically construct the projects under council contracts

The most important distinction for your voting considerations is that HBRC is the principal long-term owner and operator of the Heretaunga Plains flood-control infrastructure.

A central-government announcement of funding does not transfer responsibility for maintaining the stopbanks, pumps and drainage infrastructure to Wellington.

That responsibility has significant implications for future regional rates.

5. What is funded versus what might become an election promise?

I would separate the commitments into three categories.

Category	Examples	How to interpret them
Money committed and construction underway	Pākōwhai, Ōmāhu, Waiohiki, Whirinaki	Existing funded projects
Money committed, construction commencing or in stages	Brookfields Lower, Waipawa, further Whirinaki works	Existing commitments still being delivered
Future investment requiring decisions	Moteo, Omaranui, East Clive, Raupare, Chesterhope and wider scheme upgrades	Not equivalent to an approved construction programme

On election promises: I would not attribute a new flood-protection commitment to a particular party without a published 2026 policy or a documented government commitment. The existing NIWE programme is an established government funding commitment, not evidence of what every party will promise for the next parliamentary term.

For election comparisons, the questions I would put to each party are:

1. Will you provide additional central-government funding for the unfunded Heretaunga Plains upgrades?
2. Will you commit to a long-term funding arrangement beyond the existing NIWE programme?
3. Will you fund upgrades to the wider river and drainage system, rather than just individual stopbanks?
4. Will you provide funding for ongoing maintenance, not just initial construction?
5. Will you require independent reporting on whether the promised flood-protection standards are actually being achieved?

6. What does this mean for your home, insurance and family?

There are some important limitations to keep in mind.

A new stopbank does not automatically make a property low-risk.

Even with substantial improvements:

• Extreme rainfall can exceed the design capacity of infrastructure.
• Stopbanks can fail or be damaged.
• Surface-water flooding and stormwater drainage problems can remain.
• Groundwater and local runoff can create risks that river stopbanks do not solve.

HBRC itself acknowledges that no flood-protection system can eliminate flooding completely. Restoring Flood ResiliencePākōwhai

For your household, I would pay particular attention to four things.

1. Your property's actual flood pathway

Ask whether the property is exposed to:

• Ngaruroro River flooding.
• Tūtaekurī River flooding.
• Local stormwater flooding.
• Drainage-system failure.
• Groundwater inundation.

These are different risks and require different engineering responses.

2. Whether the proposed works protect your particular catchment

A nearby stopbank upgrade may be reassuring, but it does not necessarily improve your property's protection if the water reaches it through another pathway.

3. Future rates

The NIWE programme has time-limited central-government funding. The ongoing operation, maintenance and eventual renewal of flood infrastructure will continue to require funding.

Ask HBRC how much of that cost will ultimately fall on regional ratepayers and whether targeted rates will apply.

4. Insurance recognition

Do not assume that a completed stopbank automatically reduces premiums or guarantees insurance availability.

Ask your insurer whether it recognises the particular flood-protection works, whether your property's flood-risk assessment has changed, and whether the excess or exclusions will change.

7. The documents I would examine before voting

These are particularly useful primary sources, rather than campaign material.

1. HBRC – Restoring Flood Resilience

The current programme, individual project progress, funding and construction updates.

View the Regional Council programme

2. HBRC – Resilient River Communities

The previous flood-control investments, completed projects and historical Heretaunga Plains upgrade plans.

View completed and earlier projects

3. HBRC – Pākōwhai project

Particularly relevant to the Heretaunga Plains, including design, construction and protection objectives.

Read the Pākōwhai project details

4. HBRC – Brookfields Lower

A useful example of the transition from engineering design into funded construction.

Read the Brookfields project details

My overall assessment

As at 1 November 2026, Hawke's Bay already has a substantial government-backed flood-resilience construction programme. It is not accurate to say that nothing is being done or that the main works are merely election promises.

Equally, it would be inaccurate to say that the Heretaunga Plains are now comprehensively protected.

The distinction is between a funded first tranche of significant improvements and the much bigger question of what it will take, over the next 10–30 years, to provide sustainable flood protection across the entire plains.

For a family with children and a substantial investment in a home, I would put particular weight on the long-term funding commitment, the actual protection standard for your catchment, and who pays for future maintenance.

One particularly important question to put to prospective MPs is:

Will your government commit to funding the remaining Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme upgrades, including the works identified through the independent flood reviews, and how will you ensure that the cost does not simply become an ever-increasing burden on local ratepayers?

That question gets beyond announcements and asks about the things that will affect your home, insurance and family's security for decades.

Hawke’s Bay flood protection: what is funded, what is still proposed, and who is accountable?

For a homeowner on the Heretaunga Plains, the important distinction is between work that has secured funding and is being delivered, work that has been approved in principle but is not yet fully funded, and longer-term proposals that politicians may discuss during the 2026 election campaign.

There are several different layers of responsibility:

• Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC): responsible for regional flood-control infrastructure, including stopbanks, river management and flood-protection schemes.
• Central government: provides funding, sets national policy and can contribute to major recovery and resilience programmes.
• Hastings District Council and Napier City Council: responsible for local stormwater networks, drainage and land-use planning within their respective districts.
• Landowners and insurers: have separate responsibilities concerning property-level protection and insurance risk.

The distinction matters because a government funding announcement is not necessarily the same as a completed flood-protection project, and a regional council proposal is not necessarily a government commitment.

1. Works with funding committed or construction underway

The central government and HBRC's North Island Weather Event (NIWE) programme is the main funded package to understand. HBRC's current published figures are $256.5 million in total: $209 million from central government and $47.5 million from HBRC. The programme is time-limited, and HBRC carries the cost of overruns beyond allocated budgets. Restoring Flood ResilienceHawke’s Bay Regional Council’s flood resilience programme on track as construction momentum builds | Waiohiki

Here is the position as at 2 November 2026.

Project	Funding and delivery position	Responsible organisation
Waiohiki stopbank	Completed New approximately 1 km stopbank, stream realignment and drainage improvements. Completed May 2026.	HBRC
Ōhiti Road / Ōmāhu	Main works completed Approximately 2.1 km of new and upgraded stopbanks and bunds, plus road raising and drainage work. Main construction completed August 2026.	HBRC
Pākōwhai	Under construction An 8.5 km flood-protection network, including new stopbanks, flood walls and upgrades to existing defences. Forecast completion Q2 2027.	HBRC
Whirinaki	Under construction Residential and industrial stopbanks and drainage improvements. Main works progressing, with a further phase around the Pan Pac log yard planned through April 2027.	HBRC
Pōrangahau	Under construction A 1.7 km network of stopbanks, sheet piling and flood walls. Funding is in place, including the second phase involving marae and other properties.	HBRC
Havelock North	Funded programme A separate flood-resilience project delivered through the NIWE programme.	Hastings District Council
Waipawa stopbank	Funded upgrade Raising and strengthening existing stopbank protection to the regional standard. Construction commencement announced October 2026.	HBRC
Ōmāhu Upper and Lower stopbanks	Funded upgrade Approximately 3 km of stopbank raising and widening. Enabling works began September 2026.	HBRC
Brookfields Lower stopbank	Funded upgrade Strengthening existing stopbank infrastructure to the regional standard.	HBRC

Sources: HBRC's programme updates and individual project pages. WaiohikiŌmāhu flood project reaches the finish line | News ArchivePākōwhaiWhirinakiPōrangahauRestoring Flood ResilienceŌmāhu stopbank upgradeRestoring Flood Resilience

A few details are particularly relevant to households on the Heretaunga Plains.

Pākōwhai: a second line of defence

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

The scheme includes:

• Approximately 5.5 km of stopbank and flood wall along the Tūtaekurī-Waimate Stream.
• Approximately 3 km of additional stopbank and flood wall between Links Road and SH2.
• Realignment of approximately 500 metres of the stream.
• Upgrades to existing stopbanks.

The new protection is designed around the regional one-in-100-year flood standard, with an additional 500 mm of freeboard.

In July 2026, HBRC confirmed that 73 properties had been removed from Category 2C following progress on the protection works. This is a meaningful land-risk milestone, although it is not a guarantee against future flooding or a guarantee of insurance availability.

HBRC is responsible for delivery. PākōwhaiProgress for Pākōwhai: Homes cleared from Category 2C as protection works advance | Whirinaki

Waiohiki and Ōmāhu: completed does not mean flood-proof

6

Waiohiki's new stopbank was designed for a one-in-100-year event. Forty-five properties moved from Category 2C to Category 1 following the project.

At Ōhiti Road and Ōmāhu, the completed main works included road raising and improved drainage as well as stopbank construction.

These are important improvements, but neither project provides immunity from a larger event such as Cyclone Gabrielle. WaiohikiWaiohiki stopbank complete in major flood resilience milestone | Restoring Flood ResilienceŌmāhu flood project reaches the finish line | News Archive

Pump stations: particularly important for low-lying Plains properties

hbrc.govt.nz

The pump-station programme is another important part of the protection system.

HBRC has identified three Heretaunga Plains facilities for upgrades:

• Awatoto
• Pākōwhai
• Brookfields

These facilities help remove water from low-lying drainage catchments and return it to rivers. This matters because stopbanks alone cannot solve flooding caused by intense rainfall, surface-water accumulation and groundwater.

The programme includes:

• More reliable pumping capacity and performance.
• Backup power.
• Seismic strengthening.
• Better remote monitoring and control.
• Improvements to fish protection.

There is an important distinction here: the stopbank programme has progressed further than the pump-station upgrades. HBRC's May 2026 update described the Awatoto and Pākōwhai pump-station project as still in planning and preliminary design, with early electricity-network work underway.

Delivery responsibility: HBRC, with specialist contractors and Unison undertaking associated electricity infrastructure work. Pump StationsReducing Flood Risk

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

This is arguably the most important part of the picture for someone deciding what to look for in election policies.

A. The long-term Heretaunga Plains flood-protection review

HBRC has been reviewing the entire Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme through its Reimagining Flood Resilience project.

This is much bigger than individual stopbank repairs. It asks what the region's flood defences should look like over the coming decades.

The review considers:

• Raising and strengthening existing stopbanks.
• Creating additional floodways and alternative routes for floodwater.
• Allowing more space for rivers to move, sometimes described as room for the river.
• Improving river-channel management and gravel extraction.
• Better management of water that overtops stopbanks.
• How to balance engineering, environmental protection, community safety and affordability.
• Whether some land uses or development patterns need to change.

The important development is that this is no longer simply a consultation proposal.

On 29 July 2026, HBRC councillors received the outcomes of the almost year-long community engagement process. HBRC published the results on 7 August 2026.

However, no decisions have yet been made on the future flood-protection options.

The next stage is to develop investment options for HBRC's 2027–2037 Long Term Plan, with public consultation expected in 2027.

Question	Position at November 2026
Has the review happened?	Yes
Have community recommendations been presented to councillors?	Yes
Have major future engineering options been selected?	No
Has construction funding been approved for those future options?	Not yet
Who decides?	HBRC councillors through future planning and budget decisions
When is the next major decision process?	2027 Long Term Plan

This is a significant distinction when evaluating election statements: a politician supporting the review is not necessarily committing to a particular engineering solution or funding it.

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

B. The proposed one-in-500-year standard

One issue worth watching closely is the difference between the current regional standard and the more ambitious protection being considered.

HBRC's discussion documents explain that the major Heretaunga Plains and Upper Tukituki schemes have generally been designed around a one-in-100-year flood event.

The Taradale stopbank is an exception, having been upgraded to a one-in-500-year standard in 2022.

Some of the longer-term proposals have considered extending a one-in-500-year standard to additional parts of the Plains.

But that does not mean the whole Heretaunga Plains will receive one-in-500-year protection under the existing funded programme.

The Resilient River Communities programme completed design or consent preparation for a number of potential future upgrades, including:

• Moteo stopbank.
• Omaranui stopbank.
• East Clive stopbank.
• Raupare Upper and Lower stopbanks.
• Chesterhope Upper stopbank.
• Brookfields Lower stopbank.
• Pākōwhai Park stopbank.

These are important distinctions: having a design, or having obtained consent, does not automatically mean the money for construction has been approved.

Resilient River CommunitiesAugust 2025Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme - Hawke's Bay

C. Other future options and programmes

There are several additional areas where future investment decisions matter.

Future work	Current position	Responsible organisation
Wider Heretaunga Plains scheme improvements	Options being developed for the 2027–2037 LTP	HBRC
Upper Tukituki scheme improvements	Also included in the Reimagining review	HBRC
Additional stopbank upgrades at Moteo, Omaranui and Raupare	Design and planning work completed or progressed; future construction decisions required	HBRC
East Clive and Chesterhope upgrades	Earlier planning and consent preparation; construction funding needs to be established	HBRC
Further floodplain and river-management changes	Part of longer-term resilience planning	HBRC, with central and local government partners
Coastal hazard and sea-level-rise responses	Longer-term planning and strategy work	HBRC and relevant territorial authorities

Resilient River CommunitiesReducing Flood RiskCommunity feedback helps shape the future of region's flood resilience | Home

One specific historical example is the proposed recommissioning of the Maraenui stopbank. It was considered in the earlier Resilient River Communities programme but did not proceed. It should not be treated as an approved future construction project.

3. Who actually pays for and delivers flood protection?

There is a potential accountability problem in Hawke's Bay: the organisation announcing funding may not be the organisation designing or maintaining the infrastructure.

Here is the division of responsibilities.

Organisation	Main responsibilities
Central government	National funding, recovery programmes, national infrastructure policy and any future Crown contributions
Hawke's Bay Regional Council	Regional flood schemes, stopbanks, river management, pump stations, drainage schemes and flood monitoring
Hastings District Council	District stormwater, local drainage, land-use planning and its assigned Havelock North flood-resilience project
Napier City Council	Local stormwater and urban drainage within Napier
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency	State highway infrastructure and associated transport works
Unison	Electricity infrastructure, including power-network work associated with pump-station projects

The regional council manages the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme, which covers approximately 39,000 hectares and provides flood-protection benefits to around 138,000 people.

HBRC also manages the river channels, drainage networks and gravel-management activities that affect how well the flood scheme performs. Reducing Flood RiskResilient River Communities

Who pays in the longer term?

This is particularly relevant to your concerns about rates and insurance.

The existing NIWE programme has a central-government contribution and an HBRC contribution. However, ongoing operation and maintenance are not automatically paid for by the Crown.

For example, HBRC says ongoing Waiohiki maintenance will be funded through targeted and general regional rates.

The future Heretaunga Plains scheme review explicitly asks how much communities are willing and able to pay for greater protection, and how that cost should be distributed.

This means the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan could be particularly important for homeowners: the question is not just what engineering work is possible, but what level of protection ratepayers will agree to fund.

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

4. Are these 2026 general-election promises?

I would separate three things when assessing political claims.

1. Existing government commitments

The NIWE funding package is an existing government commitment, not a new election promise.

The projects already funded through it should be judged on delivery, construction progress, completion dates and whether the promised work is actually achieved.

2. Future council investment decisions

The next major investment decisions sit with HBRC's 2027–2037 Long Term Plan.

These decisions will determine whether the region moves beyond the currently funded recovery works into larger-scale improvements.

3. New political commitments

I have not established a verified, costed party-by-party commitment for additional Heretaunga Plains flood-protection construction from the sources reviewed.

I would therefore be cautious about treating statements such as these as funded policies:

• We will increase Hawke's Bay flood protection.
• We will build stronger stopbanks.
• We will improve regional resilience.
• We will help communities recover from Cyclone Gabrielle.

For each statement, the questions should be: How much money? Which particular river or community? Which engineering works? Who delivers them? When will construction start? Is the funding additional to the existing NIWE allocation?

A promise to investigate or develop a business case is not the same as a commitment to construct.

5. What does this mean for your home, insurance and family?

There are three issues I would pay particular attention to.

A. A regional protection standard does not establish your property's individual risk

The one-in-100-year standard is a statistical design standard, not a guarantee that your property will remain dry.

A flood can also affect a property through:

• Water overtopping or breaching a stopbank.
• Surface-water flooding from intense rainfall.
• Drainage systems becoming overwhelmed.
• Groundwater rising.
• Water being unable to drain back into rivers because river levels are too high.

This is particularly important for low-lying parts of the Heretaunga Plains.

HBRC explicitly acknowledges that no flood-protection system can guarantee complete protection. Reducing Flood RiskRestoring Flood Resilience

B. Flood protection and insurance are related, but not identical

The removal of a property's Category 2C classification following new infrastructure is relevant evidence of a changed risk assessment.

However, it does not automatically mean:

• Your insurer must offer cover.
• Your premiums will decrease.
• Your excess will decrease.
• Your property will retain its value.
• Your mortgage lender will change its requirements.

Insurers make their own assessments of individual properties and residual risk.

I would want any politician proposing flood-resilience investment to explain whether they also intend to address insurance affordability and availability.

C. Evacuation and community safety matter as much as engineering

HBRC is also working with Civil Defence and local councils on flood evacuation trigger levels.

This is important for families with school-age children. Flood infrastructure can reduce risk, but people still need reliable warnings, clear evacuation routes and practical plans for getting children home or to safety.

HBRC has also been developing a flood forecasting dashboard and improving rainfall and river-level monitoring. Reducing Flood RiskRestoring Flood Resilience

6. The documents I would use to check political claims

These are the most useful primary sources rather than party publicity or campaign material.

1. HBRC – Restoring Flood Resilience

Project-by-project construction progress, funding and completion information.

View the flood resilience programme

2. HBRC – Reimagining Flood Resilience

The longer-term Heretaunga Plains and Upper Tukituki investment debate.

Read about reducing flood risk

3. HBRC – Flood hazard information

Property and area-specific flood hazard information.

Find flood hazard and risk information

4. HBRC – Pump station upgrades

Progress on the Awatoto, Pākōwhai and Brookfields infrastructure.

View pump station upgrades

7. Questions worth putting to candidates before voting

I would use these questions at local candidate meetings and when reading party manifestos.

1. Funding: Will you commit additional central-government funding for Hawke's Bay flood protection beyond the existing $209 million NIWE contribution?

2. Protection standards: Will you support moving the Heretaunga Plains scheme towards a one-in-500-year protection standard? Which locations would receive it, and when?

3. Affordability: How will you prevent the cost of future flood protection falling disproportionately on local ratepayers?

4. Insurance: What will you do to help homeowners in flood-prone areas retain affordable insurance?

5. Delivery: Who will be accountable if funded flood-protection projects are delayed or do not deliver their intended protection?

6. Family safety: What investment will be made in flood forecasting, evacuation routes, school-community emergency planning and reliable warnings?

7. Long-term planning: Will you support the findings of HBRC's Reimagining Flood Resilience work with actual construction funding, rather than simply further investigations?

My overall assessment of the position in November 2026

There is already substantial money committed to Hawke's Bay flood recovery and resilience. This is not simply a collection of election promises: major projects have been completed, others are being constructed, and several additional stopbank upgrades have funding.

However, the much bigger question of what level of protection the entire Heretaunga Plains should receive over the next 20–50 years remains unresolved.

The current programme should not be confused with a commitment to protect every property against a one-in-500-year flood.

The next major opportunity to establish that direction is HBRC's 2027–2037 Long Term Plan, alongside any additional central-government commitments made by the parties contesting the 2026 election.

For your household, I would focus particularly on three measurable commitments: the flood standard proposed for your particular catchment, the proportion of future costs paid by central government rather than ratepayers, and the treatment of residual flood risk for homeowners and insurers.

One useful next step: If you tell me roughly which part of the Heretaunga Plains your property is in (for example, Pakowhai, Twyford, Bridge Pā, Clive, Haumoana, or another area), I can narrow this down to the rivers, stopbanks, drainage and pump stations most relevant to your home.