Wednesday, 24 January 2024 14:55

40th anniversary of 1984 floods an opportunity to look forward

Written by  Staff Reporters
Environment Southland chair Nicol Horrell. Environment Southland chair Nicol Horrell.

As the anniversary of the 1984 Southland floods approaches, Environment Southland is reminding residents that the maintenance of and investment in flood infrastructure in the region is more crucial than ever.

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the floods, which saw thousands of people evacuated from their homes under a state of emergency in Invercargill, Otautau and Tuatapere, thousands of stock lost, and almost 1,000 buildings damaged.

Environment Southland says that as the region acknowledges the anniversary, it is timely to recall that the floods were the catalyst for the extensive flood protection construction and upgrades that have buffered the region from more severe flood impacts for several decade.

With flooding proving to be an ever-present risk, Environment Southland is responsible for maintaining and improving flood protection schemes that protect people, property and livelihoods.

Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell says the floods in September 2023 were another reminder of how important it was to maintain and invest in Southland’s flood protection network.

“Environment Southland has been working on Government co-funded climate resilience projects to upgrade some of the flood protection network, to help ensure towns in our region are more resilient to the challenges of a changing climate,” he says.

The Waihōpai River is currently being upgraded to meet the increase in extreme sea levels in the Kōreti New River Estuary, while the new Stead Street Pump Station also formed an integral part of Invercargill’s flood protection scheme to protect the area from inundation for the next 50 years.

Construction of a new stop bank along Ontario and Toronto Streets in Gore has been completed, and flood protection work in Wyndham and Mataura is nearing completion.

Horrell says these projects, and others including the development of a 30-year Infrastructure Strategy, will build greater resiliency in the face of climate change for communities and critical infrastructure.

However, further investment is needed now and for the future because parts of the flood protection network are more than 30 years old, and more frequent and intense weather events are putting it under pressure.

Flooding is one of the most common natural hazards in Southland and it is important to be prepared.

To minimise the impact of floods, Emergency Management Southland Simon Mapp group manager recommends people visit the cdsouthland.nz website.

“This website provides information on what to do before, during, and after a flood,” Mapp says.

Residents can also use Southland's Natural Hazards Portal on the Environment Southland website to determine the flood risk level in their area.

By examining the flood zones and using the information from the website, people can learn what steps they need to take to evacuate their homes in case of a flood, he concludes.

More like this

Court decision a win for Southland farmers

Federated Farmers says it welcomes a recent court decision which granted a stay on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until legislative changes can be made by government.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter