Category: Local Government

Source: Auckland Council

We know that for some people, rates are a considerable cost, including those affected by the severe weather earlier this year.

If anyone is concerned about being able to pay rates, we encourage them to get in touch with our credit control team to discuss the options available, including a rates postponement scheme and flexible payment options.

If you have difficulties paying your property rates, there is help available including a range of options for low-income households and community groups.

Our credit control team can be reached on rates.collections@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz to discuss what options are available and how we can help.

When are rates due?

You need to pay your property rates on or before the four instalment dates:

Instalment number	Instalment date
Instalment 1	Thursday 31 August 2023
Instalment 2	Thursday 30 November 2023
Instalment 3	Wednesday 28 February 2024
Instalment 4	Friday 31 May 2024

Can I make part payments?

Yes – you can make a part-payment into your property rates account at any time.

You can use any payment method we offer, as long as you pay the full amount of your property rates instalment by the due date.

What happens if I am late paying my rates?

If you do not pay the full instalment amount of your property rates by the due date, we will add a 10 per cent penalty to the amount left to pay.

What happens if I don’t pay my property rates?

If you have a mortgage recorded on your property, any arrears (debt owing at 30 June) will be notified to your mortgage provider.

If you do not pay the outstanding amount within 90 days after we have notified your mortgage provider, we will request that they make this payment on your behalf.

We notify your mortgagee (usually a bank) after the fourth instalment due date has expired. In early August, we inform them that, if you do not pay the outstanding amount within 90 days, we will request that they (the mortgagee) make this payment on your behalf.

If a property is mortgage-free, our legal team will pursue the outstanding rates directly with the owner. If this does not result in payment, the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 allows us to demand the sale of a property to recover unpaid rates.

Why is it important to pay rates?

Rates are property owners’ contributions to a shared investment in our community’s well-being – it’s your contribution to creating a city that all Aucklanders can thrive in and be proud of.

Rates support vital services like waste management, maintaining community buildings and playgrounds, emergency management, as well as public transport, pools, public art, and libraries. 

You can read more about what your rates pay for here.

Help for low-income households and community groups

You can apply for a property rates rebate

Follow our guide on the Auckland Council website to check if you are eligible for a property rates rebate. We will help you through the application process and list the information needed to support your application.

The closing date for property rate rebates for the 2023/2024 financial year is 30 June 2024. However, we suggest that you submit your completed application early to avoid missing the closing date. It can take up to two months to process a rebate if you submit an application between August and November, or between April and June.

You can apply for remission (reduction) of property rates penalties

If you make a property rates payment after the due date, we may apply penalties.

We may be able to remit (reduce) your penalties under some circumstances. For example, if you have paid after the penalty date for no more than one instalment, but you have not received a property rates penalty remission under the policy within the past two years.

When a small balance is overdue which is uneconomical to collect, we may write off the balance in line with our other procedures. We will not apply penalties in these circumstances.

You can request a postponement of a property rates

Postponement of residential property rates payments provide you an option to postpone all or part of your property rates payments for an agreed period of time.

Rates relief, support and information for Aucklanders with storm impacted properties

Is there rates relief for those properties impacted by the severe weather?

On 27 July, the Governing Body agreed to provide a 100 per cent rates remission for 2023/2024 for properties uninhabitable as a result of severe weather events from the first half of 2023 with a further remission of 100 per cent in 2024/2025 for properties that remain uninhabitable as at 30 June 2024.

Red placarded properties automatically get 100 per cent rates relief applied to their rates invoices. Yellow placarded properties will need to apply using this online form.

What does uninhabitable mean?

All properties with red stickers on 30 June 2023 are considered uninhabitable.

If your property has another coloured sticker and you believe it is uninhabitable because of the extreme weather events in the first half of 2023, please apply using the online form and we will assess your situation. All applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

When will my property’s rating valuation be reassessed?

If there has been significant and long-lasting physical damage because of the extreme weather events in the first half of 2023, you can request a rating valuation review by emailing ratesrelief@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

For all other properties, your rating valuation will remain as it is until the next city-wide revaluation which is due for publication late 2024. This ratings valuation will be used to set rates for the 2025/2026 rating year.         

What other financial support is available for displaced homeowners and tenants?

We encourage residents displaced from their homes to recheck their eligibility for financial assistance through the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). You can contact MSD by calling 0800 559 009. You can find out more information on how MSD can support you by visiting workandincome.govt.nz

From 4 September, those people who left their homes because of extreme weather events earlier this year, will be able to receive interim financial support when their insurance payments for temporary accommodation run out. Find out more here or email our recovery team.

Auckland Council has met with representatives of the banking industry, and they have assured us that banks are committed to working with their customers experiencing financial hardship. We urge people to contact their mortgage provider to discuss what support is available.

Source: Auckland Council

Another major milestone in Auckland’s storm recovery will be reached on Monday with the lifting of the Motutara Road cordon, at Muriwai.

The main road into Muriwai, Motutara Road was closed in February due to a landslide during Cyclone Gabrielle.
Mace Ward, Auckland Council’s Deputy Group Recovery Manager says that though the landslide was eventually cleared, Auckland Council had ongoing concerns about the area and work has been underway to ensure it could be safely reopened.

“We engaged geotechnical specialists to thoroughly assess the area, and their advice is the road can be safely reopened with the removal of unstable properties above the road. These properties were successfully cleared this week, and we’re pleased to confirm the road will reopen on Monday.

“As part of our work to clear the road, we were delighted we were able to retrieve some personal belongings of great value to the owners of the homes that were damaged, including some jewellery and some precious vinyl records that were thought to be lost.

“The removal of these houses is bittersweet for the owners of these properties, and we must recognise the major impact the weather events this year had on people’s homes and families.

“While restoring access through Motutara Road is a milestone we are pleased to have reached, there is still more work to be done in Muriwai. Six months on, this community is still hurting from the impact of the extreme weather events.

“Many people are still displaced from their homes, and we’re working to support them as we get closer to having clarity on next steps. Our geotechnical assessment of the wider area is almost complete, and homeowners will start receiving initial property risk categories at the end of the month.

“This technical work will also enable us to accelerate the removal of building placards, meaning that some people will be able to safely return to their homes.”
The cordon at Domain Crescent will remain, with residents’ access only and 24/7 security in place.

Driving on the beach

Vehicle access to the beach via Coast Road will reopen on Monday 4 September. Mr Ward says that four-wheel drivers will be pleased to return but wants to remind permit holders that additional care will be needed.

“There have been significant changes on Muriwai Beach over the last seven months, with dunes starting to revegetate and some wildlife returning. Those using the beach may encounter a lot more bird life and a few seals. As a visitor to their environment, please ensure that your actions minimise any disruption to them.

“We would encourage you to take this opportunity to ‘reset’ how you use the beach – refresh yourself with the skills you need to drive on a beach and please be respectful of the environment and community. Make sure your tyre pressure is correct (lower than for general road driving), and that you have the right equipment. Check out the tides, and be aware of no-go areas.

“You have to give way to everybody else if you are a vehicle on the beach. Make sure you’ve sorted your paperwork too – no access without a permit, current registration, and warrant of fitness.”

Click here for information on Muriwai Regional Park, and also see our Rules for driving on Muriwai and Kariotahi beaches.

Source: Auckland Council

Kia ora koutou,

Apparently it is spring already! Let’s hope the weather holds and the land starts to dry out after the wettest year on record.

A few updates from me.

The Waiōrea Community Recycling and Education Centre at 990 Great North Rd, Western Springs opened on 11 August 2023. It is the culmination of 11 years of collaborative work including council departments, dozens of community groups and volunteers and the Albert-Eden, Puketāpapa and Waitematā local boards. Communities of central Auckland are now another step closer to our zero-waste goal. The recycling centre is a hugely valuable resource to help locals learn more and actively reduce waste to landfill. It is part of the council network and is being run by MPHS who also manage the Tipping Point in west Auckland. It is open Thursday-Sunday 9am-4pm. More on what they do here.

In August, the much-anticipated basketball court at Coyle Park in Pt Chevalier was completed. A huge thanks to Pasadena Intermediate School for being there on the day with their kapa haka roopu and showing us how to shoot the best of hoops.

Last month, we approved our local board budget for the next 12 months. We had to find $210,000 in cuts to our programme and services but overall, we hope the changes won’t be too noticeable. We will not be able to fund the Movies in Parks series this year after 12 years of great movies, being screened in local parks. We have trimmed our community grants budgets and stopped other programmes too, however I hope you can agree with these as we have done what we can to preserve the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of our communities as key objectives and this year’s budget targets were hard!

The council has released a new website called Flood Viewer. You can find out if your home or somewhere you care about might be affected by flooding. It also explains more about the causes of flooding, and how to help prepare your whānau and property. The map shows areas that are expected to flood in extreme rainfall events. View it here.

In October, there will be a range of events funded by the local board as part of the International Day of the Older Person (IDOP). Look out for information and events on our Facebook page.

Finally, thank you to those that commented on our draft local board plan. We will review your comments and suggestions, and sign off the final version in October 2023. The plan will then set our priorities and direction for the next three years, to guide the budget, programmes and services over that time.

Mā te wā,

Margi Watson

Albert-Eden Local Board Chair

Source: Auckland Council

Mayor Wayne Brown and Council’s Governing Body have unanimously agreed to support legislation that would put Aucklanders back in charge of the city’s transport system and enable more integrated, long-term decision-making with the Crown.

The Governing Body voted to accept the Mayor’s recommendation that the council support legislation to fix the governance of Auckland’s transport system, including by taking the initiative to promote a local bill with a ready-made solution.

The Mayor and Council will be seeking to confirm support for these changes from all political parties prior to the election.

“There is a strong sentiment in Auckland that Aucklanders do not have enough influence on the decisions made about their transport system. Too many things we do and spend money on are dictated to us, and too much time is wasted on mega projects imposed by Wellington rather than the smaller-scale initiatives that will really help Aucklanders get around easier. This has to stop.

“Transport accounts for more than 30% of Auckland Council’s budget over ten years. Despite this, Auckland Council is the only council in New Zealand that does not have a formal role in preparing and approving the strategic direction for transport and the allocation of funding to support that direction.

“The Auckland Transport Board itself has acknowledged that the governance and funding arrangements for Auckland are no longer working and have asked council to give serious consideration to how a more simplified, transparent, and robust planning and funding framework for Auckland can be created.  We’ve acted on that,” says Mayor Brown.

The proposed bill would establish a Joint Transport Committee between the Crown and Auckland Council and a new Auckland Regional Transport Committee to provide more integrated and efficient planning and funding related decisions in Auckland.

“This will provide a legislative basis for Auckland Council and the Crown to agree to an Auckland Integrated Transport Plan which will set the long-term direction. We have made some good progress on this already with the Government, but it needs a legislative basis to have the most impact.

“The legislation would also mean Auckland Council will have the lead role in preparing and approving the Regional Land Transport Plan, which sets the strategic direction for transport and the allocation of funding in support of that direction and that the council will also be able to make other key regulatory decisions about the Auckland transport system, including setting parking fines.

“Previous attempts by the council to take back control of transport decisions have not worked. I have done the groundwork and already engaged with both the government and opposition and, while there is detail to work through, both have expressed support of the direction we are heading in with this change. 

“It will bring Auckland Council’s responsibilities in line with other unitary councils and will provide agencies with a transport interest in Auckland with greater funding certainty.

“While we think this should be taken up as a government-led priority after the election, we are not waiting around and will put forward our own suggestion as a local bill too. Before the election, I will be asking political parties to confirm their support for these changes,” said Mayor Brown.

More information on the progress of the Auckland Integrated Transport plan will be released soon.

Source: Auckland Council

Update on GHD’s landslide risk assessment

GHD is still on track to complete their landslide risk assessment and deliver a final report by late September, as previously advised in the timeline shared in the 25 May newsletter. The Recovery Office are currently working with GHD on how results from this work will be shared with affected property owners prior to the final report being made public.

In the past two weeks, GHD has completed its review of the background information (research). These results will support the RBA placard reassessment as well as the government’s property categorisation process. This includes information from property files, LiDAR information (‘Light Detection and Ranging’ – a 3D remote sensing method that uses light to measure and produce pictures of the exact distance of an object), aerial photographs, historical data, anecdotal evidence collected, geological maps and the NZ Geotechnical Database. GHD has also carried out geomorphological interpretation (this is the analysis of the shape of the land to help understand how it formed and how it has changed over time) based on the above review and field mapping.

Geotechnical evidence to support RBA placard reassessments

GHD is also focusing on completing the bulk of the remaining assessments for the presently defined ‘purple zone’ properties in the Piha and Karekare areas. Their assessment will include their site inspections, assessment of damage from landslips and potential remediation options.

Following the outcomes of these assessments, we expect some properties could have their placards downgraded or removed (which will likely begin in the coming weeks). Final inspections of these properties will be carried out by Council compliance staff, and property owners will be informed, including with a formal placard change letter. In some cases, this may mean people can return to their homes sooner than expected in cases where current and future risk can be managed.

Recapping the Colour Zones map from 22 June newsletter

In our 22 June Piha and Karekare newsletters, we included a map with colour zones to communicate which properties GHD is doing site-specific risk assessments on. To recap, the colours do not represent different levels of risk – they are simply to indicate how soon the results are expected to be delivered.

Please note these colours are separate to the RBA placards as well as the government’s property categorisation process.

Because the colour categories are not showing risk, they will not be recorded on properties’ Land Information Memorandum (LIM) reports.

We have grouped properties in Piha and Karekare into three groups – brown, purple and no colour.

Brown – These properties are in an area where the future land instability risk is relatively complex, with more work needed to understand the risk for these properties. The expected delivery date for GHD’s work for the ‘brown zone’ will be in late September.

Purple – These properties are in an area where the future land instability risk is simpler, so results can be delivered before the full area-wide assessment is complete. The expected early delivery date for the risk assessment will be towards the end of August. Preliminary results will be able to be used to support reassessment of RBA placards. Full results will be published in the same report as the rest of the area-wide assessment due in late September.

No colour – These properties are believed to be outside the main large-scale slope instability in Piha and Karekare. Some of these properties have been affected by smaller-scale local landslides, resulting in RBA placards.

We continue to ask all owners of placarded properties to fill in the online form here. This will give us the information needed to apply a risk category to your property.

If you don’t want to take part in this process, then our previous advice still applies – we recommend that you work with your insurers and engage a professional chartered geotechnical engineer or chartered engineering geologist to inform you about the next appropriate steps. The relevant geotechnical documents supporting placard downgrade can be submitted to Council for review, comments, and approval.

Your geotechnical professional is encouraged to contact the council directly to discuss the level of geotechnical investigation and/or assessment they need to undertake in support of the placard downgrade.

You can find advice about how to get a geotechnical report here.

You can also find more details about the process for resolving an RBA placard here.

Background about the geology and landslides across Piha and Karekare

Geology

Piha and Karekare are built on a mixture of sand dunes and rock.

Sand dunes are quite variable, ranging from well cemented (i.e. the sand particles stick together well) to loosely deposited sands. Loosely deposited sands can contain thin layers of clay or silt, which can have variable consistency, strength, and stability.

Most of the rocks seen locally on the slopes in Piha and Karekare are of volcanic origin. These can be exposed at the surface on higher ground or buried beneath the sand dunes in lower-lying areas. These volcanic materials include basalt and tuff, as well as debris from old offshore volcanoes deposited in massive underwater flows creating conglomerates and breccia (coarse grained sedimentary rocks containing individual blocks held in place by a finer grained matrix). These rocks are normally very stable, but over time the surface breaks down through weathering and can turn the outermost layer into a weaker ‘mantle’ of soil that can slide off as a thin layer.

Landslides

Landslides occur when the driving forces that can cause a landslip to occur are greater than the resisting forces keeping the slope in place. Most steep slopes are stable until a change (which might be only a very small change) either reduces the strength of the ground or increases the load on the ground, causing it to fail.

The factors that commonly trigger landslides include pore water pressure (amount of water in the soil), changes in the physical slope (such as excavations or erosion of the surface), or new loads on the slope (including natural loads like earthquakes or water, and man-made loads like buildings).

Rotational landslides have rounded bases, and commonly form where there are relatively deep weak materials.

Translational landslides have a flat base and are more common in sand deposits, and where rocks where they are covered with a thin weathered soil mantle. These translational landslides are particularly common in Piha and Karekare because of the presence of sand dune deposits and the weathered soil mantle over the rock.

Debris flows are fast-moving landslides that are particularly dangerous to life and property because they move quickly, destroy objects in their paths, and often strike without warning. Translational and rotational landslides can turn into a debris flow if enough water is fed into them as they move (for example, where a landslide falls into a stream).

Both translational and rotational landslides can be damaging to homes built on them. Debris flows can be particularly hazardous as a result of the higher speeds at which they move, making it harder to escape their effects.

GHD has completed field mapping assessment in the Piha and Karekare areas and has identified approximately 100 landslides around each community (about 200 landslides overall).

Most of the mapped landslides appear to be ‘shallow seated’ translational landslides where the upper 1 m to 2 m of soil material has mobilised. These often look large and very dramatic, but because they are shallow the amount of material that has moved can sometimes be relatively small.

Several possible ‘deep seated’ landslides were also identified in the Piha and Karekare areas. These commonly move more material, but in many cases do not travel as far.

Source: Auckland Council

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is pleased that the draft Government Policy Statement on Transport, released today, shows the Government is listening and responding to Auckland’s priorities for transport.

“Aucklanders want us to deliver a faster, more resilient transport system. I’ve been focused on securing an integrated plan that includes sensible interventions to speed things up. This is progress,” said Mayor Brown.

Investment priorities and other changes included in the draft GPS for Auckland include:

• Northwest Rapid Transit
• Additional funding to enable Auckland to maintain and improve the condition of our roads
• Enhancement to the Warkworth to Whangarei State Highway, including Warkworth to Wellsford
• Expansion of the third and fourth Auckland rail mains
• An Avondale to Onehunga rail link
• A level crossing upgrade and removal programme
• Refocusing the safety budget, which provides Auckland with more flexibility on delivering sensible safety improvements as part of the broader improvement and renewal programme
• Commitment to integrated planning, including the Auckland Integrated Transport Plan, making the most of the existing system and managing demand

“The announcement today reflects quite a few of the priorities and changes that we have been discussing with the Government as part of our work on the Auckland Integrated Transport Plan, which is how we want things to work. It’s good to see the Government has taken on my board a lot of what we’ve been asking for.

“I particularly welcome the progress on Northwest Rapid Transit, which is a growing area where we can affordably deliver much faster, more reliable public transport. I have been saying that this is an obvious priority and needs to take precedence over the mega dream projects proposed.  

“You only need to look at the success of the Northern Busway. If something works well like that, do it more. We don’t need to reinvent things with new pipe dreams.

“I also like that we will get more funding for maintenance and renewals, which we need to fix the state of our road surface, and that we get some flexibility on the safety budget which has seen a lot of poor-quality spend.

“I will update Aucklanders soon on the progress of the Auckland Integrated Transport plan. This is the next step in getting Auckland Council to where it was meant to be, as a partner with Government, and allowing Auckland to decide what Auckland gets, not Wellington,” says Mayor Brown.

Source: Auckland Council

Background

Extreme weather in 2023 damaged many homes across Tāmaki Makaurau, and we are working to place properties into three categories, based on a new Government risk framework:

• Category 1 – Low risk
• Category 2 – Risk can be managed with flood protection or land stabilisation
• Category 3 – High risk, house should be removed, and/or not rebuilt

Risk assessments and categories

To get to a risk category for your property, a detailed risk assessment is needed. We are unable to provide a category without this because every property is different.

The risk assessment helps build a picture of how likely it is that future severe weather events would pose a risk to life and whether there is a way this risk could be managed so it is safe for people to live there. The risk assessment gives us the information needed to apply a risk category to your property.

The start of the process for this is for you to complete the Landslide and Flooding Registration form. We will then start a risk assessment process for your property.

A risk assessment has two parts:

1. An initial desk assessment, based on existing information and any information you provide, which gives an indication of whether your property is likely to be low or high risk. The desk assessment also tells us if a site assessment is needed.
2. An on-site assessment to look at your physical property – this will be required if we think your home could be high risk.

The site assessments will look at whether there are changes that can be made at your property or in the surrounding area to reduce the future risk of serious flooding or landslides to the home. If there aren’t any practical and financially viable solutions and there is a risk to life, then it’s likely your property will be Category 3.

Do I need a risk assessment?

In some cases, it will be obvious that a risk assessment is needed – where damage was suffered in the weather events this year. Other houses may not have sustained any or much damage at all but are in areas that we suspect may be at risk in future.

We recognise that the uncertainty of not knowing whether your home falls into a higher risk category can be stressful, and that there are many families facing difficult financial situations. We are working as fast as we can to develop the categorisation process, but this has never been done before and there are many complex decisions to be made to ensure fair outcomes for everyone.

We extend our thanks to the many people who have already submitted information as part of the property categorisation process through the Flooding and Landslide Registration form. You can still fill out this form if you haven’t already – the information you provide is vital in moving forward a risk assessment.

Next steps if you’re waiting for a risk category

We are aiming to get in touch with people about next steps around six weeks after receiving a completed form from you.

We have already started contacting people. If you haven’t received an email from us yet, we are working through a large number of submissions and we will get to your property as soon as we can.

In some cases it is clear that a property is low risk and falls into Category 1 – we’ll write to you or email you to let you know if this is you.

In cases where we think, based on the information provided, that there is higher risk, an in-person technical assessment will be needed. We will let you know if this is the case. We need to carry out thousands of assessments, and we expect it to take several months to visit everyone. We are prioritising people most in need to give the most affected people certainty as soon as possible.

Property buyouts once a category is confirmed

We are still in discussions with central government on the funding arrangements and how a buyout scheme for Category 3 homes will work, as well as funding for work needed to protect Category 2 homes.

We regret that this process has taken longer than expected, however we hope to be able to share more details soon. We know that many displaced families in Auckland are doing it tough, but we’re trying to balance the need to move quickly with the need to make important decisions and get them right.

Source: Auckland Council

If you would like support and advice on your residential home insurance claim, the New Zealand Claims Resolutions Service (NZCRS) can help.  

The NZCRS is a free service that provides residential homeowners with advice, case management support where appropriate and access to legal, technical and wellbeing services to help them achieve timely, fair and enduring resolution of their residential insurance claims resulting from natural disasters.   

 They are there to help whether you’re unsure of what your insurer is telling you or have specific questions about either your insurance policy or the process that will be followed to settle your claim.

Do your homework before accepting a settlement

NZCRS Director, Darren Wright says they are starting to see a flow of settlements being presented to homeowners by insurers, and that it’s important for homeowners to understand their rights and obligations. He says homeowners should ask their insurer who will manage the repair – will your insurer arrange for the repair work to be done, or will you be responsible?

“If you receive a scope of work and payment from your insurer, it’s important to understand this is the insurer’s assessment and an interim payment based on what they believe the repair cost and strategy should be. The homeowner needs to engage their own builder to assess the scope and provide a quote for the repair costs. 

“If your builder’s scope is different from the insurer’s assessment, or the money paid by the insurer is not enough to cover your builder’s quote, then get in touch with your insurer. You should clearly set out what is different and what costs are not included. 

“It’s critically important you don’t incur any costs or agree with your builder on any contract until the insurer has accepted the changes and/or the cost variations. If the insurer is going to carry out the repair, it’s still important to check the scope to make sure you agree with it.”

You can contact NZCRS on 0508 624 327, email contact@nzcrs.govt.nz or visit nzcrs.govt.nz

Source: Auckland Council

Dotterel resting on shell beach

Some of the non-beach breeding sites had more success than usual, not having to deal with the effects of storm surge and overflow from this year’s storm events.

Auckland is a national stronghold for the species with an estimated national population of around 2,600 birds. As the population increases and with added human pressure on our beaches, dotterel pairs are continuing to turn up at new sites around the region, particularly non-beach sites, to nest each season.

Six chicks fledged from the land surrounding the NorthWest Shopping Centre at Westgate, three from the industrial area at Onehunga, and one from the grounds of St Kentigern’s College – highlighting dotterels can show up at all sorts of locations, not just the beach.

The northern NZ dotterel population has gone from a steady decline to nationally increasing and is a true conservation success story – Auckland dotterel minders have played a significant role in their national recovery.

Ben Paris says to make up for last season’s lower productivity, it is important everyone helps give dotterel the best chance they can this coming breeding season.

“We urge people to follow the messaging on dotterel signage and stay away from any fenced areas where they are nesting, follow the relevant dog rules at the beach (check where you can take your dog before you head out), keep your cat inside at night and get involved in a local pest free group.”

Auckland Council is funding a cohort of 20 dotterel minders to attend the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre dotterel management course in August.

With the 2023-24 breeding season about to get underway, Auckland Council and dotterel minders are hoping for a better season.

Source: Auckland Council

Negotiations with Crown on proposed buyouts of Category 3 properties continue
Council has brought in additional staff, including professional expertise from Australia, to assist with process

Auckland Council is continuing to communicate with homeowners who are part of the Government’s property categorisation process, following the unprecedented weather events of early 2023.

Group Recovery Manager Mat Tucker says engagement with property owners has helped provide clarity on the scale and prioritisation of categorisation across the region.

“The information that property owners have provided through the Flood and Landslide Registration form has been vital in moving the risk assessment forward, and I’d like to thank everyone that has engaged with the process so far. The homeowner information, combined with modelling data and council information, has given us a really good steer on where we need to be focussing our resources first.

“We’re taking an evidence-based approach to categorisation, and so far the evidence indicates there will be larger clusters of Category 2 and Category 3 properties around Henderson, Rānui and Swanson, around Milford, and the Mt Roskill area. We’re also working closely with Kāinga-Ora on technical assessments to categorise their properties in line with the rest of the region, with priority being given to affected areas in Māngere.

Tucker says that for property owners that are likely to be Category 2 or Category 3, a site assessment is needed to understand the future risk to life at the property.
“This assessment looks at whether there are changes that can be made on the property or surrounding area to reduce the future risk of serious flooding or landslides to the home. This includes considering Auckland Council’s proposed “Making Space for Water” initiatives. If there aren’t any practical and financially viable solutions and there is a risk to life, then it’s likely the property will be Category 3.

“There has been comparison with the Hawke’s Bay, where they’ve been able to move groups of homes en masse from Category 2C to Category 1 once the repairs are made to something like a stopbank. Auckland’s denser built urban environment and land typography is very different, so in Auckland we need to go property by property to assess whether there are any options to reduce the risk to the people living there.

“Our priority through the risk assessments is to identify Category 3 homes as quickly as possible, recognising that these are the people with the greatest need for certainty about their future.

“When we started this process in mid-June, we said it would take around six weeks to get back to property owners once they’d provided their property information to us, and that’s what we’re tracking to. We understand that we can’t move fast enough for people that are living their lives in limbo, but we are working as hard as we can to get to the people who need us the most.

“These risk assessments are happening in parallel with our negotiations with central government through which we hope to agree funding and policy arrangements for proposed buyouts. There is a lot of detail to work out – how properties are valued, how purchases will work, and who will foot the bill for costs like legal fees and removing homes.

“It’s important to remember there’s no precedent or legal obligation for buyouts – the policy to do this work and the systems and processes to do this don’t exist. And importantly, the funding doesn’t exist. Any property buyouts will need significant funding from ratepayers and taxpayers. Auckland Council will likely need to consult with Aucklanders on the cost of the programme and the financial commitment needed.

“We’re walking a fine line here between moving as fast as possible to give private property owners the certainty they so desperately need, and making quality decisions that are the right ones for Auckland long-term.”

Geotechnical investigations progressing for west coast beach communities

Mr Tucker says good progress is being made in the communities of Piha, Karekare and Muriwai where large-scale geotechnical investigations are underway to determine the ongoing safety of homes in landslide affected areas.

“We’ll have a clearer idea of the scale of Category 2 and Category 3 properties in Piha, Karekare and Muriwai when the geotechnical studies underway in these areas are complete over the next few months. The property owners in these study areas have a slightly different process to get their category, and we’ve been keeping them informed as the geotechnical work has progressed.”

“Property owners within the study area in Muriwai have been provided with a timeline for this work, and we’re pleased we’ve been able to confirm that they’ll receive their initial property categories in late August.”

The geotechnical investigations for Piha and Karekare are due for completion at the end of September.

Certainty for Category 1 properties

Category 1 homes are now being identified as a result of the information being supplied by property owners and our desktop assessment.

“We’ve been able to start confirming groups of properties as Category 1. Where the property owner’s information and self-assessment as Category 1 aligns with our technical assessment, we can give these people some welcome certainty, and conclude the categorisation process for them.”

Thousands of site assessments needed

Of the thousands of homes in the risk assessment process, Auckland Council estimates 5,000 individual flood assessments will be required plus another 250 geotechnical inspections.

The first site assessments for flood affected properties will begin from the week of 14 August, with geotechnical assessments expected to begin from the 21 August.
“Property owners should be prepared that this scale of site assessments will take months to complete. The skills shortage in the technical fields of flood and geotechnical engineering are a real hinderance to us being able to do this work faster.

“A challenge we’re dealing with is sharing a limited number of specialists with affected regions – professionals that were in short supply even before the disasters. In the case of geotech, we’re contracting Australia-based teams to help with the desktop work because there’s just not enough resources available here.”

Following site visits, the council expects to begin conversations with homeowners about buyouts of Category 3 homes later this year. This timeframe will be influenced by the completion of government negotiations, and the outcome of any consultation with Aucklanders and Governing Body decisions.

Support for affected homeowners

Auckland Council agreed a rates relief programme to support residents in need with 100 per cent rates relief for uninhabited storm damaged homes. Red placarded houses as of 30 June 2023 will receive 100 per cent rates relief for the full 2023/2024 rating year. Homeowners that received a yellow or white placard can apply for rates relief if they are unable to live in their home. For more information visit OurAuckland.