Project Start Year: 2024
The Lower Motueka River and Brooklyn Stream stopbanks are to have a 6.7km upgrade, building on the 4.8km initial stage of work. Material for the stopbanks is being sourced from Tasman View Road, improving the road while supplying essential fill. The current stopbank network was built in the 1950s and some areas have been worn away over time, or have settled, meaning they aren’t strong enough or high enough to provide the level of flood protection needed. The low permeability fill being used will also make the stopbanks more resilient to scour and for longer duration floods.
Repair work will raise the crest of the stopbank in areas where it is no longer high enough to provide protection from a 1-in-50-year flood event and provide a gravelled 4m crest width for safe access. It will also address areas where the stopbank might have weaknesses that could cause it to fail in a large flood event.
Benefits: This work will reduce the community’s risk of flooding from the river. The stopbank refurbishment would protect approximately 1,500 hectares of fertile and productive land, along with portions of the town itself.
Adaptation/Resilience: Flooding of the Motueka River in heavy rain events is something that the local community has come to expect for many years. Providing more robust stopbanks that will last many years enables Tasman District Council to be ready for climate-related changes to the river flow in the future.
Collaboration: Funding for the Motueka Stopbanks Refurbishment Project Stage Two was approved by Kānoa Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit, as part of the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund. Tasman District Council has also ensured close engagement and collaboration with their contractors, but more importantly the community who will ultimately benefit – this includes iwi and landowners, many of which have a direct connection to, or reliance on, the river.
The Motueka River is integral to so many within the community – for business, for recreation, for life. Tasman District Council are pleased to be able to continue this work for the purpose of protecting homes and livelihoods, while building further climate resilience for the Motueka community.
Find out more on: Motueka projects | Tasman District Council
