Northland News – Kāeo river realignment works shut down for Winter

A $1.5 million project to re-route a 500-metre section of the Kāeo River to better protect Kaeo township from flooding has shut down for the wet Winter months.

Northland Regional Council member Colin ‘Toss’ Kitchen, who chairs the Kāeo-Whangaroa River Working Group, says the project – which began last December – will resume in Spring with the onset of warmer, drier weather.

Councillor Kitchen says ongoing rainfall through March and last month had resulted in multiple wet-weather stand-down days and elevated groundwater levels, significantly slowing construction progress.

“Ground conditions prevented safe operation of heavy machinery without causing site damage.” There had also been a number of archaeological discoveries.

Despite the delay, the project was still due for completion before Christmas, weather permitting. The winter break would allow the newly-constructed channel to stabilise over winter and for grass to establish on banks. At this point it was hoped water would begin flowing through the new channel by Christmas.

Councillor Kitchen says the project involves the construction of flood protection works for Kāeo township and adjacent portions of State Highway 10 for resilience to home and business owners and main roading routes.

It will shift the junction of the Waikara Stream and Kāeo River 500 metres downstream, with a new 500-metre long deflection bank constructed alongside Kāeo township.

Once complete, the project is expected to reduce the depth of floodwaters in Kāeo during a one in a hundred-year flood event by up to half a metre.

Councillor Kitchen says regional councils play a critical role in flood risk management and the Kāeo scheme is one of several flood management schemes in place across Taitokerau to reduce risk to life, property and infrastructure.

This project is being funded through a combination of targeted and regionwide flood infrastructure rates and central government funding from National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (formerly Crown Infrastructure Partners).