The Greater Wellington Regional Council is seeking feedback on a draft plan that aims to address flood and erosion risks in the Upper Ruamāhanga River.
Te Kāuru Upper Ruamāhanga floodplain management plan also aims to protect and enhance the natural and cultural values of the Te Kāuru catchment while recognising the significance of the catchment’s rivers to affected land owners and the broader community.
The council said residents of the catchment will receive information on the proposals in the coming weeks and will have the chance to discuss the plan in the first week of September at drop-in centres.
“Flooding is an ever-present threat in the Te Kāuru catchment and we want the community’s input into how we can address it,” committee chair Bob Francis said. “The draft plan is a starting point.
“It’s now up to the people of the catchment to make their views known, and we’re making it as easy as possible for them to do so,” he added.
Francis noted different flood protection and erosion management responses and projects have been developed under the draft plan.
Currently, landowners within flood protection schemes fund a large proportion of scheme costs. However, the draft plan proposes that landowner contributions will be spread across the wider community encompassing, for example, all ratepayers in Carterton and Masterton District councils.
