14 December, 2025

Rising waters near stadium show need for flood work

A heavy but relatively short-lived downpour last week again resulted in surface flooding lapping near Eventfinda stadium, which faces losing its insurance from a further major weather event.
“It got close”, said Kaipātiki Local Board chair Danielle Grant.
The 3 December deluge underscored the flood risks yet to be addressed in the Wairau catchment, she said. It also came soon after a late rush of views on the future of the adjoining AF Thomas Park in Takapuna led to more than 5500 public submissions.
The feedback will help the board decide next year on the preferred recreational use of the two-thirds of the park not being taken for council’s floodwater detention scheme.
One proposal includes lifting the stadium to better safeguard it.
The detention scheme is designed mainly to protect downstream flood-prone properties in Milford, rather than those in the Wairau Valley itself, including Eventfinda,
Grant headed to the stadium when she heard the waters were rising. She said this happened fast, forcing North Harbour Gymnastics staff to end classes early and begin rolling up large floor mats.
The car-park flooding underscored the importance of pushing on with later stages of the Wairau work, she said. “For people and businesses on the North Shore, we see how vulnerable things are.” But the challenge was locking in funding for that necessary work in Milford and the upper catchment.
Other local body members have said a targeted rate has been suggested by council staff as a way to deliver the later work.

When the Observer put this to Healthy Waters, its general manager Craig Mcilroy did not respond directly, replying: “Any future funding decisions around stormwater management, including the Making Space for Water programme, will need to be part of the wider 2027 Long-Term Plan process and would require region-wide consultation and approval by the Governing Body.”
Stage 2 work had council approval and funding to progress to the concept design and detailed business case, he said. “This work will begin in the new year and will enable us to work with local communities to progress flood reduction plans in Tōtaravale and Nile Road, and to further explore potential funding avenues. Updated cost estimates for physical works can be expected in the second half of 2026 as part of the business case development.”
Healthy Waters said the downpour that caused last week’s flooding saw 49mm recorded at the Wairau rain gauge.

“This was a short-duration, high -intensity event; 34.5mm of rain fell at the Wairau gauge in the 1 hour between 3:45 and 4:45 in the afternoon,” said its flood resilience on-call duty manager Tony Cain. He was not aware of any culvert blockage causing the car-park culvert overflow.
“When large downpours occur suddenly this can cause localised flooding as the water cannot move through the network quickly enough.” The network around Eventfinda stadium was undersized and was on the list for future project development, Cain said.

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Blockage bars motorway access at peak

The closing of the flooded northbound motorway on-ramp from Esmonde Rd in peak-hour evening traffic last week was caused by blocked catchpit grates.
Unsafe levels of surface flooding had occurred, leading to the decision to close access to the Northern Motorway, said the New Zealand Transport Authority’s system manager, Paul Geck.
Detours were set up and traffic was free-flowing by 6.10pm, after the on-ramp had been closed for an hour.
The 3 December incident, was around the time of carpark flooding at Eventfinda.

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