Ōtara Lakes and Waterways Trust's Flat Bush Community coordinator Pragna Patel. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The fast-tracking of two flood protection projects in Māngere will save lives and safeguard hundreds of homes, an Auckland ecology group says.
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown also applauded the move by the government to speed up the work on two streams, which is aimed at protecting vulnerable communities from the risk of flooding.
"There are 350 homes in Māngere that are highly prone to flooding in the event of a future flood. This will help protect not only those homes but others in downstream catchments, so it's very welcome news," Brown said.
Ōtara Lakes and Waterways Trust Flat Bush Community coordinator Pragna Patel said she agreed with the mayor on the need to push ahead with the work.
"The flood risk has to reduce; in its current status quo, there is a huge risk to life and property - it's a miracle no one [has] died."
The water ecology group helps revitalise streams in Māngere and also provided support after the devastating January 2023 floods.
"There needs to be no impediment [to this flood resilience work], otherwise Māngere is going to be at flood risk for a much longer amount of time, and it's just going to happen all over again."
It was important to distinguish Māngere's flood resilience projects from unrelated fast-track approvals, such as those linked to mining, Patel said.
Auckland Council needed to advance flood resilience efforts without barriers as the work would alleviate the flood risk significantly and reduce the risk of blockages, she said.
"At present, the poop levels in the stream are very high, which points to broken pipes. There is a need to fix the problem upstream rather than the ambulance at the bottom of the hill downstream."
More than 200 homes were flooded with sewage-laden water in the Auckland floods, leading to health issues from residual mould spores, she said.
Patel acknowledged potential impacts on already busy roads in the areas.
"The traffic management issues will bring the traffic at already busy pinch points to a standstill (Walmsley Road); accessing [the] Māngere Bridge will take significantly longer in and out. The noise is going to be punishing."
Money is available for the work on Te Ararata Creek and Harania Creek in Māngere, Brown said.
"Now we can cut out red tape that would have slowed down much-needed work to improve physical resilience in Māngere.
"We are good to go - this decision means we can get on with actually making Māngere safer and avoid the type of damage we saw last time round."
Earlier this year, Auckland Council requested an Order in Council from the government to enable faster delivery of the two projects in Māngere.
Orders in Council, under the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act 2023, allow the government to make temporary law changes to help communities recover from the severe weather events of early 2023.
The government approved the work in October.
Tauanu'u Nick Bakulich, chair of the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board, welcomed the fast-tracking of the flood resilience projects.
"Our focus is on creating a safer and more flood-resilient community."
A council statement said the projects sought to increase safety, improve local infrastructure, and strengthen community ties, ultimately making Māngere more resilient against severe weather events.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air