It’s been two years since the Auckland Anniversary floods killed four people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage to properties and infrastructure across New Zealand’s biggest city.
The storm dumped a record-breaking 307mm of rain on Auckland in four days — more than half the expected rainfall for a year.
Emergency services rushed to hundreds of calls for help as more than 2000 slips and flooding paralysed the city’s transport and water networks, closing major highways and Auckland Airport.
Up to 10,000 properties flooded, forcing hundreds into emergency accommodation. Auckland Council is in the process of categorising these properties, based on new Government framework, into three risk levels:
- Category 1: Low risk
- Category 2: Risk can be managed with flood protection or land stabilisation
- Category 3: High risk, house should be removed, and/or not rebuilt
Now two years on, where is the Council at with categorising flood-affected homes, and what’s next for those unsure about the future of their homes?
‘I just want to get out’ – Homeowner
Torben Nielsen is one of around 500 Aucklanders still waiting on their home to be categorised following the floods.
He had just returned to his Hillpark home from Hamilton when it began to rain on January 27, 2023.
“The water was coming out of everywhere, coming out of our drains, pouring out of our back sections, pouring down the side – it just came in really quick.”
Carpets had to be ripped up and GIB board stripped and replaced, but just days before the kitchen was due to be completed, the house flooded again in May last year.
“It wasn’t as high as the first time, but we still got completely done again.”
It’s been a year since the Auckland Anniversary floods took the lives of four people and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage to properties and infrastructure. (Source: 1News)
He said he still “semi-panics” when he hears loud rain on his roof or sees heavy rain warnings in place.
The second flooding was the final straw for Nielsen to opt-in to the categorisation process in August last year. It took until December for someone to come and survey the house.
“I just want to get out of our house, because I know it’s just gonna get flooded again.”
Nielsen is hopeful for a Category 3 rating, which would make them eligible for a buyout offer.
“It’s actually been quite stressful at times, so just got to take into account that they’re not just dealing with numbers, you know, they’re also dealing with people’s lives.”
Auckland Council ‘working hard’ to close gap
Just 18 out of 95 homes have received a category from the council, giving them a plan of action. (Source: 1News)
Auckland Council said it had made “strong and steady” progress in its recovery efforts from the storms in 2023 and completed more than 80% of priority activities two years on.
More than 85% of the 3537 homes registered for future risk categories have received a final decision, it said in an update on its website.
Close to 1000 Category 3 homes are eligible for a buyout and 123 are eligible for grants to make their home safer.
The council said more than 500 buyouts had been completed and that a home removal programme had begun ahead of decisions about future land use.
“It is estimated a total of 1200 homes will be eligible for a buy-out when the categorisation programme is completed in a few months.”
Group recovery manager Mace Ward said the council was “working hard” to close the gap and complete the work by the end of March.
“In some cases, it relates to when people opted into the process. We closed the opt-in process in September, and we had quite a lot of opt-ins at that stage – over 500 – and then some of the sites also are more complex.”