Northland

The requirement for a Quarry Road bridge upgrade became apparent during an August 2022 flood; this was a ‘pinch-point’ in the scheme. After witnessing the devastation and loss of bridges elsewhere in the country during Cyclone Gabrielle, this became a priority for the scheme upgrade. The upgrade was further supported by Northland Regional Council’s hydraulic modelling. ​

The existing stop bank between Dargaville and Te Kopuru has insufficient height to provide the level of protection required. This project seeks to strengthen and heighten 9.2km of the stop bank. In addition to the reconstruction of the stop bank, this project will include reconstructing a number of flood gates and supporting drains. ​

It’s been more than a century since flood protection work began around the Awanui River. Initial works in the early 1900s focused on bringing land near the harbour into production by preventing tidal flooding. Stopbanks and floodgates gradually extended upstream to provide flood management for more productive floodplain land.

More than $5 million of long-awaited staged works designed to substantially reduce the flood risk to the small Northland centres of Otiria and Moerewa were completed.