Source: Auckland Council

As part of ongoing efforts to protect the Auckland region from future floods, Auckland Council will be seeking community feedback on a proposed flood resilient blue-green network in the Wairau Valley.

The proposed network is part of Auckland Council’s Making Space for Water programme and co-funded by central government. It follows three other flood resilience initiatives already approved in areas severely impacted by the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, two in Māngere and the other in Rānui.

The Wairau catchment was one of the hardest-hit areas during the 2023 floods, with severe damage and the tragic loss of life. Auckland Council has explored a range of interventions to reduce flood risks in the area to provide both immediate and long-term flood reduction benefits. One of the proposed options is the redevelopment of AF Thomas Park, currently the site of Takapuna Golf Course, into a multi-use recreational flood storage wetland.

North Shore Ward Councillor Richard Hills acknowledges repurposing AF Thomas Park will be a tough ask for those who love the golf course as it is, but says the wider community is demanding action to prevent further flooding and potential loss of life and property.

“The January 2023 floods had a devastating impact on our community, negatively affecting thousands of homes and businesses in the Wairau catchment and causing millions of dollars of damage to community facilities like Eventfinda Stadium and North Shore Badminton,” Councillor Hills says.

“This weather event made our streets so unsafe we lost lives, and we could have lost many more had volunteers not rescued 69 people from the Wairau Valley. After much investigation, the Healthy Waters team is confident this first phase of the project will provide over 550 million litres of water storage in a flood event, a significant increase from the park’s current 60 million litre capacity,” he says.

“I recognise the potential changes to AF Thomas Park is upsetting to some of our golfing community and those who use this stunning course. As part of the design process, the council and local boards will work with the community to understand what opportunities may be available to meet the wider golfing and recreation needs of the north shore, alongside providing much needed flood protection and safety for this community.”

Balancing flood protection and community needs

Under the proposal, the park would function as a blue-green space, offering the community enhanced recreational facilities and walking paths while also serving as a wetland, designed to temporarily store floodwaters during extreme weather events. Similar approaches have been successfully implemented at Greenslade Reserve in Northcote, where flood storage is integrated with public recreational spaces.

Te Kaitaki Greenslade Reserve in Northcote was lowered to increase capacity to 15,000 litres or 6 Olympic-sized pools of water, in times of flooding.

The project would be the first of a number of connected stages to help safeguard thousands of residents while also creating an improved recreational space for future generations.

It would significantly reduce flood risks protecting:

• 10 hectares of residential properties

• key roads including Nile, Waterloo and Alma Roads

• critical infrastructure like power substations and wastewater systems

• important community facilities, including schools and North Shore Hospital.

Tom Mansell, Auckland Council’s Head of Sustainable Partnerships (Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience) says this is an important opportunity to work alongside the Wairau community to design a project that enhances both flood resilience and recreational spaces.

“Changes to the golf course will impact current users, but our priority must be to reduce flood risks to homes, schools, and businesses, protect vital infrastructure, and create a space that serves the entire community in multiple ways.

“The current lease on the golf course expired in February and it’s timely for us to revisit the use of the area with a view to the needs of the whole community,” adds Mr Mansell.

Why AF Thomas Park?

Currently, AF Thomas Park provides approximately 60,000m³ of flood storage, enough to fill 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

However, to significantly reduce flood risks across the Wairau Valley, this capacity needs to increase to approximately 550,000m³ – equivalent to 550 million litres of water or 220 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Without this intervention, large parts of the Wairau catchment, including residential areas and key transport routes, will remain highly vulnerable to flooding.

Alternative options, such as widening the stream above or below AF Thomas Park were explored but found to be extremely costly, requiring land purchases exceeding $300 million and currently no budget has been allocated for such land purchases.

Increasing existing water detention facilities in 11 other open spaces were also considered but would only provide a fraction of the necessary flood storage.

Mr Mansell explains why the site cannot remain as it is:

“The land in the northeast corner of the park, proposed for the primary flood storage area, needs to be lowered to effectively hold stormwater. This will result in a permanently wet environment due to groundwater seepage.

“It’s an opportunity to restore and enhance the wetland that historically existed here, providing ecological and recreational benefits beyond flood resilience,” he adds.

Community engagement and next steps

Auckland Council is now actively engaging with the broader community and stakeholders in a consultation process. If the business case is approved, there will be multiple opportunities for public input to shape the final design of the park.

“By working together with local and central government, businesses, and residents, we can develop a solution that is effective, sustainable, and beneficial for the whole community,” says Tom Mansell. 

“We also recognise the importance of golf to golfers in the North Shore community. As part of this process, the local community, golf community and other groups with interest in the project, will be engaged to assess current and future recreational needs. This will help determine how the space can best serve the wider community while supporting a transition plan for golf club members to alternative facilities.

“We need to take a catchment-wide approach to flood resilience.

“The challenges we face in the Wairau Valley are complex, with both natural and human-made barriers affecting water flow.

“Prior to human settlement water flowed south into Shoal Bay, before the land around Lake Pupuke was raised by a significant rocky uplift which caused a layer of basalt rock to form a natural barrier. This changed the water course and forced it to change direction and flow through Wairau Creek to Milford Beach,” explains Mr Mansell.

Next steps

After the initial community engagement this month, the business case will be taken to the Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee for endorsement in April.

If approved, the project will be delivered in stages, with community input shaping its design. Construction is not expected to begin before 2027, allowing ample time for engagement and planning.

For more information, visit the council’s website or contact the Making Space for Water team at bluegreen@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

MIL OSI