No funding has been secured, but an application has been put forward to the Government for funding support.
Wairoa has suffered from serious floods in recent years including the June 2024 floods, which were exacerbated by the position of the river mouth, and Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.
That flood came from heavy rain further upstream of the town.
Wairoa’s mayor is supportive of the project and has called it a “no brainer”.
Currently, the river bar is sometimes opened with machinery at an ideal location to allow the river to flow directly out to sea.
However, that solution is only temporary, as new openings tend to shift back to the natural river mouth over time.
An aerial image of the Wairoa River and bar. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) manages the river and river mouth and is looking at the proposal’s viability.
“HBRC with the Crown manager are looking at the merits of the groyne to reduce risk for the river mouth,” an HBRC spokeswoman said.
“We are currently undertaking preliminary technical investigations and looking at the requirements of consenting.
“The groyne will be expensive and there is currently no funding earmarked for the construction of this project.”
It is unclear at this stage how much money HBRC would need to contribute.
After Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, Wairoa was given $70 million of Government funding for flood protection works.
That money is going toward a spillway project at North Clyde to improve Wairoa’s flood protection.
The groyne is another project entirely.
Crown manager Lawrence Yule, who was appointed by the Government to speed up flood protection work in Wairoa, convened a meeting of experts about a year ago to consider solutions for the river mouth.
One of the engineers, Gary Williams, suggested a groyne be explored, similar to one on the Clutha River in the South Island.
An initial proposal was drawn up and underwent peer review, with positive feedback.
“We have a concept that the engineering fraternity largely believes has merit,” Yule said.
He said the estimate at present was between $12m and $20m.
Work now needs to be done to better understand the site, including whether a groyne can be built near Pilot Hill.
He said it was also a sensitive cultural area, and mana whenua would be engaged.
His role as Crown manager has been extended by 12 months largely to work on a solution for the groyne.
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said “we need to be more serious on this than ever” and the groyne was a “no brainer”.
He said whenever there was a heavy rain warning, the river was a source of stress for the people of Wairoa.
“If they know the river mouth is open for a start [in an ideal location], that provides a big source of security that the river can flow out.”
He said a groyne would not be a “100% saviour”, but it would be a huge protection.
His understanding was the groyne could be made from an EcoReef system, which were interlocking hexagon structures.
He said the project would need considerable support from the regional council which needed to “step up and show a bit of commitment to Wairoa and invest in this next stage of flood protection”.
Wairoa has an estimated population of about 5000 people.