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The Rotorua Lakes Council has announced that an independent advisory panel is being established to consider future flood mitigation and prevention measures for the city.
According to Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick, it’s important that the council learn from the devastating flood events last April 29.
“It’s important we understand what happened and what contributed to that so we can improve our ability to deal with adverse events, and minimise the impact on our residents,” he said.
The panel’s establishment was made at the request of Rotorua Lakes Council, although Chadwick said they are hoping for a joint review with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
The panel will consider regional and district planning matters, engineering options, stormwater, catchment management, future land use and subdivision development considerations and mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). While this panel will focus on Ngongotaha, Chadwick noted there will be things to learn that can be applied across the district.
The council added that the terms of reference should be finalised by the end of May and it expects the panel to provide a final report by the end of August.
“We look forward to getting this work underway to help us in our future decision-making for the benefit of our community and district,” the mayor added.
