Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter welcomed Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, South Wairarapa mayor Martin Connelly, and mana whenua to the Waiōhine River site known as Fullers Bend in an event which marked the completion of five Wairarapa flood resilience projects, in May.
Above: Greater Wellington Chair Daran Ponter (left) and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones (right) holding the riverstone he was gifted.
The five flood protection projects are among 16 in the regional council’s Flood Resilience Programme, and 42 nationwide that received government co-funding of $101million in Budget 2024.
The site visit was facilitated by lead contractor Mills Albert, a Māori-owned business with experience building rock walls and groynes in rivers across the region for Greater Wellington climate resilience initiatives.
The native planting plan at Fullers Bend, and all projects in the programme, were designed with local hapū, iwi and landowners, generating employment opportunities for local whānau.
Boosting the Wairarapa economy and sustaining its growth are key programme objectives, alongside protecting cultural taonga, homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, farms, local roads and the State Highway from flooding.
Greater Wellington Wairarapa councillor Adrienne Staples also commended the projects, including the jobs that are being created to reduce the risk of flooding for public and private assets through collective leadership safeguarding families and lifeline utilities.
In collaboration with Kānoa (the Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit), Greater Wellington is applying lessons learned from cyclones Gabrielle and Hale to build regional populations resilient to extreme weather events.
Visit the completed project pages, here:
Site 1: River Road, Masterton Stage 2
Site 2: River Road, Masterton Stage 3
Site 3: Waipōua Awa SH2 bridge, central Masterton
