Port Waikato stormwater resilience project

Stormwater work from the government’s cyclone recovery fund is progressing well with consents confirmed for two-thirds of the proposed work, and detailed design very nearly finalised. A detailed schedule and for construction works is underway.  

• Consenting for the slip remediation above the dairy is complete   
• Consenting for the Ooraeroa Marae works is completed  
• Consenting for the main pump station and outlet works has been lodged and the procurement process for the pumps has started 
• Final detailed design work is being done now, and we are currently negotiating with contractors  
• We still have further consultation to complete with the holiday park regarding the detailed layout of the pump station 
• We’ve finalised the orders for all the vegetation, and plan to start planting in late April. 

We are close to getting started on two projects with the consent application lodged for both the slip remedial works and the open channel works at Ooraeroa Marae. The formal consent for the main pump station and outlet is due to be submitted during October.

With regard to the slip works about the Port store, we hope to be able to complete the formal agreement for the slip remediation with Sunset Farms shortly.

Our thanks go to the landowner next to Ooraeroa Marae who has given permission for the planting works needed, as well as allowing us to access the drain from their side during construction.

The design for the main pump station and outlet is progressing well and we will be confirming the pump order in December.

We are in the process of securing all the vegetation needed for planting, which will happen during May for all projects.

Next step is to progress the holiday park area stormwater pump station design (with no Regional consent required).

Thank you to those who attended our latest community update on works funded by the government’s Stormwater Resilience Fund.  The main points were:  

• The main pump station upgrade is the main priority.  Once the costs are finalised we can confirm which other priority projects will also proceed.  
• The consent for the Ooraeroa Marae works will be submitted this week shortly followed by the main pump station upgrade. 
• Negotiations with Sunset Farms are progressing well.   
• Further modelling work identified that drain widening delivered minimal benefits, therefore this work will not proceed. 
• Time is a critical factor for the funding, with all works needing to be completed by end of June 2025. 

Maintenance issues unfortunately are not covered by this particular fund, but a number of questions were raised at the meeting about ongoing maintenance work to the Port Waikato stormwater network. We’re working on the best way to provide regular updates on the maintenance schedule and give greater clarity, so look out for that in our next update.  

Our waters team has been meeting with residents over recent months to discuss plans for upcoming improvement of the stormwater network, to work through where the $2.35m central government funding for upgrades should be prioritised.

A community meeting to discuss Port Waikato stormwater will be held on Saturday 14 September, 12pm to 2pm at the Sunset Beach Community Hub.