Our Recovery Plans

On 14 February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread damage, flooding and extreme isolation for Napier.

The Napier Wastewater Treatment Plant in Awatoto and associated industrial area were completely flooded as water overflowed the Tūtaekurī River stop banks. Parts of urban Napier, as well as the areas surrounding urban Napier, and productive horticultural land, were destroyed.

Our Wastewater Treatment Plant was fully restored by August 2023. We are now focusing on improving the future resilience of the treatment plant. Some of this work will take place over the next three years.

The Government is contributing $64 million towards the permanent replacement of the Redclyffe Bridge in the long term, which we co-own with Hastings District Council. Napier is also receiving $3.5m (50% of the cost) to allow us to administer voluntary residential property purchases in Category 3 areas of Napier.

There are many other recovery projects that we need to plan and budget for in the coming years

• Work to reduce coastal erosion
• Development of the Omarunui landfill (jointly with Hastings District Council)
• Improving stormwater drainage
• Resilience planning for the Awatoto industrial area
• Civil Defence & Emergency Management planning and readiness
• Planting along the foreshore, waterways and cemeteries
• Rebuilding Brookfields Bridge (jointly with Hastings District Council).