Source: Auckland Council
The Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office says while many Aucklanders have moved on with their lives, there are also many homeowners still grappling with the storm impacts and large-scale infrastructure efforts will continue for years.
Auckland Council is leading the recovery, with co-funding support from Government. So far, the scope of work includes over $2 billion of flood recovery and resilience works across transport and water infrastructure, and targeted support for private properties where there is an intolerable risk to life.
Key progress to date:
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1838 out of 3425 infrastructure and facility projects were completed as of 31 October 2023, including 53 per cent of transport and 48 per cent of parks and facilities
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The number of placards indicating an immediate risk at a property has decreased from 5382 placards in June across the region, to 1290 in November (with 209 red remaining)
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Around 2190 properties have registered for flooding and landslip categorisation under the Government’s framework, with more expected to opt-in
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Within this pipeline, over 1300 desktop assessments and 900 site visits have been undertaken to assess a potential intolerable risk to life
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321 property owners have been provided with final property categories, and some with interim categories, with confirmations now expected on a consistent basis
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A team of dedicated navigators across the region is providing one-on-one guidance for affected residents and connecting them with the support they need.
“We are working to set up a $2 billion-plus action plan for the country’s biggest city, to address thousands of infrastructure and property issues, in a short space of time,” says Mat Tucker, Group Recovery Manager, Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office.
“With a lot at stake, getting it right now will ensure we achieve the best possible balance between safety, equity, practicality, and what ratepayers can afford.”
The Recovery Office has proactively released a suite of decision documents relating to the setting up of new policies, systems, and operational schemes for the recovery. This includes bringing to life the Government’s new framework to assist private property owners in specific situations where there is an ‘intolerable risk to life’.
Grants for 2P mitigations confirmed
Yesterday the Auckland Council Governing Body confirmed how homeowners will receive financial support for Category 2P properties, where there are options to reduce the future risk from flooding or landslide through changes to the property such as raising the house or building a retaining wall.
The council will offer Category 2P property owners a grant to support them to reduce the risk to a tolerable level. About 100 to 120 properties are expected to be in the 2P category, and the cost of the grants scheme will be shared with the Government.
The 2P mitigation scheme is based on two grants:
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a design and consent grant to help homeowners obtain the necessary technical advice, consents and confirm the project feasibility
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a construction grant supporting the homeowner to undertake the consented works.
The grants are up to a maximum of 25% of the Capital Value (CV) of the property, and the works must be completed within two years to meet the 2P category criteria. The homeowner is responsible for gaining the relevant consents and sourcing tradespeople to undertake the work. Details will be provided to those in the pipeline next week.
Property categorisation
“We are well into our property categorisation programme, and with the key foundations now in place, more flooding-related category decisions will be made in the coming weeks,” says Mr Tucker.
“Confirmed Category 3 property owners are starting voluntary buyout conversations with us, while confirmed Category 1 owners now have the reassurance they needed to carry on with their lives. In many other cases, further investigation is needed, for example to determine if there are potential fixes to mitigate an intolerable risk to life, and if those are feasible.”
With the volume of properties and complexity involved, most property owners in the pipeline won’t receive their final category until 2024. Property assessment work is expected to continue until March, with category confirmations through to mid-year 2024 – but with most geotechnical and priority situations completed sooner.
A challenging time
“We feel the heavy weight of what people are going through. Many won’t have a stable home leading into Christmas which is clearly a terrible situation to be in,” Mr Tucker says.
“A big challenge we face is that councils aren’t set up or resourced to address storm damage at private properties, and most definitely not at the combination of scale and speed needed in Auckland.
“But we are throwing everything we can into this, from every angle we can. And we are working with our partners to maximise the support options that are in place over this period.
“We encourage residents who need support to contact our Navigators who can work with them one-on-one through the process and connect them with the various agencies providing assistance.”
A disputes process has also been set up, providing an avenue for property owners to dispute their category or market valuation. More information on the recovery programme can be found at ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/recovery.
