Yule who was appointed as Crown manager in August 2024 to oversee the flood protection work of the Hawke\u2019s Bay regional and Wairoa district councils, said the river was \u201cdifficult and dynamic\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe latest floods are just dreadful and depressing for those affected, especially people who are just recovering from the June 2024 floods.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said this had motivated him further to do all he could to source funding for a groyne – a structure built out from the shore to help direct and stabilise the flow of a river as it meets the sea.<\/p>\n
A seabed survey near Pilot Hill at the river mouth has already been carried out as part of an investigation into the merits of a training groyne. <\/p>\n
However, no funding has been allocated for it at this stage, with the majority of the Crown\u2019s $70 million contribution to flood mitigation for Wairoa allocated to a floodway in North Clyde.<\/p>\n
At a community hui in the Wairoa War Memorial Hall, a discussion was held around the possibility, alongside the North Clyde floodway, which is approved and awaiting construction.<\/p>\n
Yule said that for many Wairoa residents, the river mouth mattered just as much as the floodway upstream.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have told us clearly that the awa needs to be looked at holistically, not in parts, and that whole-of-catchment approach continues to guide this much-needed flood resilience project,\u201d Yule said.<\/p>\n
Yule said while the spillway would protect the upper part of the town, a groyne would help protect the lower part.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would help keep the bar open north of Pilot Hill, preventing the water from flowing into the river.\u201d<\/p>\n
An initial concept report for the training groyne was produced in August 2025 and independently peer reviewed.<\/p>\n
Engineering and geotechnical investigations are underway alongside a seabed survey and cultural engagement with hap\u016b and wh\u0101nau connected to the lower awa.<\/p>\n
Yule said the team didn\u2019t know yet if a groyne was viable \u2013 physically, ecologically, culturally, or financially.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why this investigation matters, and why we\u2019re being upfront with the community about what we know and don\u2019t know at every step.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said any structural solution at the river mouth would represent a significant investment, with no construction funding currently confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly indications are that most, if not all, of the Crown\u2019s $70 million contribution to flood mitigation for Wairoa will be allocated to the North Clyde floodway,\u201d Yule said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means a groyne remains unfunded at this stage and hasn\u2019t yet been approved by Hawke\u2019s Bay Regional Council. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be honest about that funding picture at every stage, and no significant decisions will be made without meaningful engagement with the community and mana whenua.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the Government was aware of the investigation into the groyne and was \u201copen to discussions around funding\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is any funding left from the spillway, it will go toward that, subject to the Government\u2019s approval.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayor Craig Little said a long-term solution for the Wairoa River mouth needed to be completed to make the community feel safe.<\/p>\n
He said the community remained hopeful that the Government would make funding available for a groyne.<\/p>\n
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yule who was appointed as Crown manager in August 2024 to oversee the flood protection work of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":525887,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5195,124,10808,22510,24749,24925,19876,71,161733,305,4277,700,93,111,43,139,8451,69,36571,7192,6739,312,75000,96262,61,6699,15289,102],"class_list":["post-525886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-be","tag-could","tag-crown","tag-damage","tag-easing","tag-flood","tag-flooding","tag-from","tag-groyne","tag-have","tag-key","tag-latest","tag-manager","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-notorious","tag-nz","tag-prevented","tag-risk","tag-river","tag-says","tag-stopping","tag-tasked","tag-to","tag-towns","tag-wairoa","tag-with"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/525887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}