An Auckland councillor says the Piha community may have to help fund multi-million dollar projects to tackle extreme flooding in the area.
Flooded Piha camping ground Photo: Facebook / Piha Domain camping ground
The Council has come up with eight options to mitigate the risk of flooding to residents, visitors and the wider Piha community in response flooding in April last year.
They range from smaller community projects to building multi-million dollar dams to contain flood water.
The Council's Environment and Community Committee will discuss the eight possible options next week before they go out for public consultation.
Its chair Penny Hulse said the Council doesn't have the funding to pay for the more expensive options.
"If the community wishes to look at some of these much larger options then we need to talk really seriously with them about the costs involved and how we pay for that," Ms Hulse said.
Penny Hulse Photo: supplied
A Piha resident Kim Kerrigan, whose home was left uninhabitable after the extreme flooding, said the eight options were all unsuitable.
The Council had presented eight options to mitigate the risk of flooding to residents, visitors and the wider Piha community in response flooding in April last year.
They ranged from smaller community projects to building multi-million dollar dams to contain flood water.
"There's no consideration for anybody's safety, it's all about cost-effectiveness, environmental impact - which I fully endorse - but the social aspect, or the human aspect of it is really not high on their list of considerations," Ms Kerrigan said.
The most suitable and cost -effective solution would be to remove the houses from the area, Ms Kerrigan said.
"It's an extremely steep catchment area and the raising of the houses, or anything else, is still not going to be safe or a good answer. The dangerous element, the lack of ability to evacuate and the damage to property, is still going to exist.
"Fundamentally, we won't be able to insure our homes, sell our homes or live in them safely," Ms Kerrigan said.
Penny Hulse said they hadn't ruled out removing the houses, despite it not being one of the eight options.
"Whatever we do in Piha, we need to be prepared to do around the rest of the Auckland region.
"We've actually got a city that is facing a huge, huge amount of strain through the impacts of climate change, increased flooding and increased incidents of high rain events. We have to really look at what we're signing up the rest of Auckland to," Ms Hulse said.
