Project Start Year: 2025
The Ōpihi River Flood Resilience Infrastructure Upgrades project repairs and upgrades stopbanks and associated flood protection infrastructure, increasing community flood resilience. The project includes investigations and design for two sections of stopbanks, construction works to upgrade them, vegetation planting to strengthen the river berms and installing a tree nursery to provide an ongoing supply of flood management vegetation.
Benefits
The project improves flood resilience for both local community and national assets valued at around $647 million, including 2700 hectares of land, 895 properties, SH1, KiwiRail, and four schools around Fairlie.
Adaptation and Resilience
Events such as the 2023 Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle have shown that extreme rainfall and flooding are occurring more often and causing more damage than in the past. Scientific evidence points to climate change increasing the intensity and frequency of these events. This project supports the future climate and flood resilience of the region through the upgrade and repair of critical flood protection infrastructure embracing the full PARA approach to flood risk – Protect, Accommodate, Retreat, Avoid (see image).
Collaboration
This project has been co-funded through central government’s Regional Investment Fund (RIF) and Environment Canterbury.
This project upgrades stopbanks and strengthens river berms along the Ōpihi River to increase flood resilience around Fairlie, as well as establish a nursery of flood protection vegetation to support future supply. These upgrades and investments help to build resilient river communities by better protecting homes, businesses, farms, schools, and key transport routes including State Highway 1 and KiwiRail from future flood events.
Find out more on: River projects | Environment Canterbury