Source: Auckland Council
There is a significant effort underway to help Tāmaki Makaurau recover from devastating and severe weather events earlier this year.
The response is widespread across all Auckland Council responsibilities including, communities, individuals, facilities and infrastructure. This includes water supply, roading and transport, water flows, parks and facilities.
Given the unique circumstances of these weather events, Auckland Council has also agreed a funding package with Government to provide assistance for private properties in a very specific situation: where future weather events would pose an intolerable risk to life. Support offered to reduce this specific risk will depend on the situation and may include either a buyout, a property-level mitigation, or a community-level mitigation.
Properties are being assessed by experts and provided a category indicating whether the risk exists at the property and if buy-out or mitigation support may be available.
Indicative timelines for categorisation
We are doing our best to carry out property assessments as fast as we can, but with over 2100 properties on our list this will take some time as we undertake property level risk-based assessments. We are prioritising properties where there is urgent need, including those with whānau displaced.
In the meantime, we will continue to support affected residents through this period and encourage you to reach out to our Navigators who can walk you through the process and connect you with support.
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Assessments and Categorisation Approximately 19 weeks to Category confirmation for new registrations (dependent on the complexity of the property and community situation, priority level, and registration date). |
To opt in to the Categorisation process, and to qualify for support under the scheme, you need to register for a property assessment (land stability and/or flooding). So far, we have contacted almost 1000 property owners to arrange an onsite flood/landslide assessment, and our team have done almost 900 site visits. However, there is a lot of work involved in assessing each property, and given the volume of properties registered, most will not receive a final decision until 2024. We anticipate our work on property assessments continuing until March, and category confirmations through to mid-year 2024 – with most geotechnical and priority situations sooner. We are looking at how we can provide more information about what step each property owner is up to within the categorisation process. In the meantime, see our land stability assessment steps, and an overview of flood risk assessment steps will be available shortly. |
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Category 3 3-6 months to property purchase |
If your property is confirmed as a Category 3, you will be eligible for a property buy-out under the scheme, and we’ll start voluntary buy-out conversations with you. If your situation is straightforward and there are no unforeseen delays or disputes, you can expect the process to take between three to six months, which includes one month for you to consider the offer. The timeline can be shorter where the situation is straight forward but conversely this timeline will extend where there is more complexity in the buy-out process, such as when there are special circumstances to be considered, a dispute is raised, or it takes longer than expected to provide insurance claim information. See our Category 3 homeowner handbook for the steps involved and for further details. |
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Category 2P Timing based on property works required |
If your property is confirmed as a Category 2P, you will be eligible for financial support to mitigate the intolerable risk to life at your property. We will fund the work up to an agreed amount, but as the homeowner, you’ll be responsible for getting the work done. We will provide approvals for the work as soon as we can, but you can help by making sure you provide us with the necessary information as soon as possible. We are finalising details of how this scheme will work and expect to provide this information to you at the end of November. See our Category 2P scheme explainer for an overview. |
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Category 2C Timing dependent on community mitigation
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If we identify an intolerable risk to life at your property, and a community project will mitigate this risk, you will receive a Category 2C status. Community mitigation projects involve feasibility work, a business case, consultation, land acquisition, consenting and physical works. In Auckland the situation is especially challenging because we will be working in areas that are already developed with housing, businesses, infrastructure, and community facilities. However, once completed, this work stands to make thousands of properties safer, not just for those where there is an intolerable risk to life. We will provide more details as key information and milestones are confirmed. |
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Category 1 |
If your property is confirmed as a Category 1, it does not present an intolerable risk to life, and you do not qualify for support under the Government’s framework. Many Aucklanders in this situation have already completed, or are currently undertaking, works to repair damage and manage risks at their properties. Please see the Insurance Council’s advice for more information. |
