Council Monthly Catch ups:

Let's connect, share an idea, talk about issues and work on solutions as a team. 

Followed by networking. Click to register

Drains and Minor Waterways

Wednesday, 29 January 2025 11:00 am-12:00 pm

Scope of this Conversation is to engage with the sector to see what professional development pathways are out there of those of us overseeing operated engineered drains, enhanced waterways, and ‘minor’ rivers, the function of which is to primarily to enable improved productivity of land use but also act as run-off conveyance in higher rainfall events. This might be a mix of civil, H&S, environmental, fiscal, communications skill sets because the kinds of challenges we face include things like:

• Navigating the operational interfaces between territorial authority stormwater systems and regional council drainage systems.
• Aquatic weed management in drains and small streams including interactions with consenting authorities and EPA,
• Flora and fauna preservation and fish spawning in drain environments originally engineered and dug to improve land productivity,
• How to balance modern H&S expectations against the impositions of modern land use adjacent to drains and minor waterways (such as the increasing weights if horticultural and agricultural vehicles utilising maintenance access berms adjacent to drains and minor waterways) etc.

While there are formal training pathways for those going through Polytech and university, many of us now well established in the workforce and further into our careers are unable to go back and do the breadth of full papers we’d need to do to cover off the above issues (amongst a number of others).

To join email rachael.armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Poplars and Willows as Bioengineering Tools

The New Zealand Poplar & Willow Research Trust is offering national training 2-day workshops for new and experienced practitioners:

When: Tuesday 11 February - Wednesday 12 February 2025

Where: Hawke's Bay

Day 1 - 10.00am -4.30pm 

Classroom style workshop

Day 2 - 9.00am-3.30pm 

Field trip including drop off at Airport 

Cost: $750.00 - Member Councils will receive a $250.00 discount.

Presenter, Ian McIvor

To register email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Workshop Programme

• Using poplar and willow in bioengineering
• Research supporting the bioengineer
• Role of nurseries to support River Groups
• River engineering in the region
• Tools and resources for the practitioner
• Field visit to river sites
• Sites visits will include the Tutaekuri north bank to the junction with the Mangaone River. 

Hawke's Bay will be a good study of the impacts of Gabrielle and resilience of willow and poplar bioengineering.

Nature Based Solutions for Flood Mitigation MFE Projects – mid project workshop

The Ministry for the Environment granted Regional, Councils funding to support 21 flood mitigation feasibility studies across 15 regions using Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). Each project is due for completion by end of June 2025.

This workshop is a mid-project opportunity for project teams from across the country to compare notes and problem-solve issues, as they enter the final stages of project delivery.

The purpose of this one-day workshop is:

• To build a NBS community of practice within the Regional Sector
• To discuss common challenges and potential solutions
• To understand the WHY, i.e. how each NBS project forms part of a broader flood protection management strategy within their region
• To find opportunities to collaborate and share resources.
• To identify emerging good practice for NBS feasibility studies.
• To initiate development of a good practice guide for the future, based on the NBS pilot studies, as a starting point for the industry.
• To identify next steps and what is needed to progress the use of NBS for flood mitigation.

• To share experiences of running the NBS pilot studies, expand your network, and learn from other projects.

A summary report will capture workshop outputs and suggest guidance for future project implementation.

 

Who should attend?

We invite each project team to send a range of expertise to cover:

• project management.
• numerical modelling and science
• communication and engagement
• policy implications
• consultants for the project

There may be a cross over within councils and contractors who are managing multiple projects.

Successful completion of a workshop will result in participants being awarded an Attendance Certificate stating CPD hours.

 

Facilitator:

Liam Foster, WSP

 

When

Wednesday 12 March 2025

 

Where

Blenheim, ASB Theatre

 

Time

9.00am to 5.00pm

 

Cost

$400.00 plus GST per person.

Earlybird Rate $300.00 ends 28.11.24

 

Where to register

Email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

 

 

Level One Asset Management Course

This course provides a contextual overview of the core elements of Asset Management (AM). Using case studies across different industries we will explore the benefits of Asset Management, required practices, lifecycle management, risk management and how to move forward on the AM journey. At the conclusion of this introductory course, participants will have a clear understanding of the key elements of AM and how to compile an asset management plan that aligns with organisational outcomes.

Syllabus

• Introductions and Course Overview
• Asset Management Overview
• Asset Management – The Organisational Context
• What is the State of my Assets?
• Valuing Assets and Understanding lifecycle implications
• Levels of Service – Do my assets deliver what is needed?
• Risk Management
• Lifecycle Management
• The Asset Management Plan
• Continuous Improvement
• Managing the AM Journey
• Summary

Presenter: Catherine Bayly 

Catherine is an experienced Infrastructure and Asset Manager. She has worked with and for local government organisations for over 20 years in NZ, Australia and the UK. Example work includes physical delivery of capital projects up to $300m, management of city assets, auditing AM competency of international water and river management schemes and most recently the design and completion of a national asset management system for the NZ Water Industry. Cath has co-developed competency based asset management courses in Australia which have been delivered to large scale asset owners including BHP Billiton, the defence force and the water industry. Cath has competencies in all elements of asset management and is particularly passionate about continuous improvement to efficiently deliver community services

When

27 March 2025

Where

Auckland

Time

9.00 am to 5.00 pm

Cost

$900.00 plus GST.

Council rate – $700.00 plus GST

Where to register

Email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Rock Design for River Works

Date: 28 March 2025

Location: Auckland

Time: 9am-2pm includes lunch

Cost: $500 plus GST.

Council staff $100 discount 

 

A workshop for designing rock revetments and groynes for River Works

A half-day workshop providing details of best practice methods for designing rock for use in river works. A high-level introduction to geomorphology will be provided for the purpose of understanding how rock works can affect river processes as well as key concepts affecting general scour design. A summary of tools for quantifying hydrological and hydraulic design parameters will be presented followed by guidance on when rock should be considered as a management tool. The design process will then be explained for rock revetments (rock lines) and groynes including general arrangement geometry, sizing, filters, and specifications. Examples will be provided of recent projects including where design/cost/maintenance trade-offs were considered.

 

Key themes

• Brief introduction to geomorphology – how rivers work.
• Outline tools for quantifying key design inputs – hydrology, hydraulics.
• When to use rock.
• General arrangement geometry for groynes & revetments.
• Estimating general scour (geomorphic change);
• Estimating local scour.
• Sizing rock using three different methods.
• Design of granular and geotextile filters.
• Key specifications for rock.

 

Outcomes

A better understanding of designing rock for use in river works.

 

Who would benefit?

Local authority engineers and asset managers, consultants and contractors actively involved in river management, or who have a specific interest in and experience of rivers and their management.

 

Presenter

Kyle Christensen - River Engineering Consultant

 

Spaces limited

To register email Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Poplars and Willows as Bioengineering Tools

The New Zealand Poplar & Willow Research Trust is offering national training 2-day workshops for new and experienced practitioners:

When: 2025 DATES TBC

Where: Christchurch,

Cost: $750.00 - Members will receive a $250.00 discount.

Presenter, Ian McIvor

To register email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Workshop Programme

• Using poplar and willow in bioengineering
• Research supporting the bioengineer
• Role of nurseries to support River Groups
• River engineering in the region
• Tools and resources for the practitioner
• Field visit to river sites
• Canterbury workshop: visit easily accessible sites along the Waimakariri and Ashley rivers.

International Adaptation Futures conference is taking place next year in New Zealand for the first time.

We’re excited to share that Adaptation Futures 2025, the world’s premier climate adaptation conference, is coming to Christchurch, New Zealand, 13-16 October 2025!

This landmark hybrid event will unite over 1500 scientists, policymakers, and changemakers to collaborate on solutions for climate resilience and adaptation.

What makes #AF2025 unique?

• Indigenous Solutions & Small Island States: Dive into essential discussions tailored to these communities.
• Art Outreach: Engage with inspiring public art events showcasing creative climate responses.
• Regional Pavilions: Explore insights from Oceania, Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
• Workshops: Connect at early-career networking events, plus sessions on managed retreats, Pacific responses, and more, hosted by leading New Zealand universities.

Arrive early for pre-conference events on 12 October or stay for post-conference workshops.

Limited grants are available for students, LDC participants, and Indigenous scholars to ensure broad participation.

Save the date and join us!

Visit https://adaptationfutures2025.com for more details, including registration, schedules, and participation options.

We look forward to seeing you in Christchurch—or online—as we collaborate to shape a resilient future.

 

Key Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Familiarity with key principles in fluvial geomorphology and their application to various river management situations (e.g., catchment (and regional) planning, sediment flux issues, and relation to flood hazards). Build familiarity with key principles in fluvial geomorphology and their application to various river management situations 

When

Monday 20 October - Tuesday 21 October 2025 TBC

Where

Wellington and Waikanae

Time

Two full days (8am-5pm)

Exact times to be confirmed

Cost

$950.00 plus GST for 2-day course. Council rate – $800.00 plus GST

Where to register

Email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Key themes

Management issues for which geomorphic insight is fundamental:

• Work with the river (nature-based solutions) – respect diversity, work with process
• Determine what is realistically achievable
• Be proactive, precautionary, pre-emptive – tackle threatening processes
• Risk management
• Integrated Catchment Management
• Active and passive practices (including the do-nothing option) – hard versus soft engineering practices … Role of maintenance (weed management)
• Flood management/protection versus ‘living with a living river’
• Managing river erosion
• Using sediment budgets to manage sedimentation issues (including sand/gravel extraction)

Spatial Dimensions of geomorphologically-informed river management

Catchment

• Fundamental geomorphic unit
• Longitudinal profile – source, transfer accumulation zones
• Network relationships (tributary-trunk stream pattern, flux)
• Connectivity relationships

Channel planform: Braided, wandering gravel-bed, active meandering passive meandering, discontinuous watercourse (wetland/swamp)

Channel geometry

• Downstream and at-a-station hydraulic geometry
• Size and shape

Geomorphic units

• Erosional and depositional forms (and process relations)
• Channel (instream) and floodplain
• Assemblages – and approach to analysis of morphodynamics, condition, recovery (Fryirs & Brierley, 2021)

Bed material size

• Bedrock, Boulder/cobble, gravel-bed, sand-bed, fine-grained
• Bedload, mixed load, suspended load

Temporal dimensions of geomorphologically-informed river management

Timescale: Geologic, geomorphic, engineering

Magnitude-frequency relations

Equilibrium versus non-linear relations

Legacy effect (landscape memory)

Processes of geomorphic river adjustment

• Balance of impelling and resisting forces
• Stream power, shear stress
• Resistance elements – role of riparian vegetation, wood, ecosystem engineers
• Entrainment, transport, deposition (Hjulstrom curve)
• Sediment transport – Bedload, suspended load, solution load
• Aggradation/degradation regime – Lane Balance

Evolutionary trajectory of rivers (and recovery potential)

• Relating character and behaviour (capacity for adjustment/range of variability) to evolutionary trajectory
• Scoping (modelling) prospective river futures to determine what is realistically achievable in management

Geomorphology and river health (condition)

What do we measure where, how and why?

What do we measure against?

Geomorphic relations to Māori conceptualisations of rivers

A living river ethos, mauri, mana, ora

How geomorphology can support river management (indicative only – set up follow up specialist courses)

Scoping river futures - Proactive and precautionary approaches to Visioning & Catchment Planning

Concern for treatment response

Geoethical considerations – concerns for social and environmental justice

• Risk management
• Integrated Catchment Management
• Active and passive practices (including the do-nothing option) – hard versus soft engineering practices … Role of maintenance (weed management)
• Flood management/protection versus ‘living with a living river’
• Managing river erosion
• Using sediment budgets to manage sedimentation issues (including sand/gravel extraction)

Presenters: Ian Fuller, Gary Brierley, Jon Tunnicliffe

A one-day workshop on practical examples of river management practices, and the context in which options are considered. Participants to bring case studies of recent works or current sites where works are proposed.  The workshop will be discussion based, with a short overview of the wider context of river management. 

 A look at practical examples of river management practices

Who would benefit?

Local authority engineers and asset managers, consultants and contractors actively involved in river management, or who have a specific interest in and experience of rivers and their management.

When

TBC

Where

Wellington

Time

One day (9 am to 5 pm)

9.00-10.30

Morning Tea

10.45-12.15

Lunch

1.15-2.45

Afternoon Tea

3.00-5.00

Cost

$500.00 plus GST.

Council rate – $400.00 plus GST

Where to register

To register interest email Rachael Armstrong - Rachael.Armstrong@hbrc.govt.nz

Key themes

• River management options: relating to river type and reach character.
• Site context and pre-flood conditions: of flood history, channel changes and sediment transport activity.
• Option selection: from potential bank protection and channel management measures.
• Relating works to site: dimensioning structural bank works, scoping channel measures and margin vegetation management.
• Learning from mistakes: all river management measures are temporary, thus monitoring and observation skills to learn from the river is essential.
• Information techniques of drone imagery and comparing historical imagery (examples of this) and what this tells us about channel form and the rates of channel change, plus measuring bed material size.

Outcomes

A better understanding of river dynamics and the requirements of river engineering, and of different practices used on different types of rivers and around the country.

Presenter Gary Williams and Tony Dunlop. 

Lessons learnt from Gisborne

To register  https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KxdaHbgGT-ibUB-s5R0m4A

While many of us are now putting the events of 2023 behind us, it’s also important to properly document and then reflect on what happened during such a tumultuous year so that we can be better prepared for the next big event. One of the key things about 2023 wasn’t just the sheer number of storms which started in January with the R&V storm, continued with Cyclone Hale in February, Cyclone Gabrielle and then son of Gabrielle in February, then June, September, October and November 2023.  

So what have we learnt?

In many ways the immediate response is the easiest to deal with. For Gisborne we were well practiced after going through a series of events since 2018. We were prepared as much as we could be for Gabrielle. Our first internal alert about the storm was on the 4^th of Feb; 9 days before the storm hit. On the 9^th of Feb the IMTstood up and, on the 10th, a heavy rain watch was issued and then elevated to a Red warning. But no matter how well prepared you are (as an organisation) it is never enough.

We knew that things would break and did break although we could not anticipate how badly those breaks would be. You get through the response and move to recovery but then when the next event occurs and you jump back to response while still trying to transition to recovery, then the next event occurs, and you do it all again.

The key lesson here is that no matter how prepared you might be for a single event, no organisation can anticipate or prepare adequately for a cascading sequence of natural disasters where the compounding effects have consequences that could not be anticipated.

There were plenty of reviews of the Gabrielle response, all well intentioned, but not necessarily very useful. In my view these were all very much too soon and the one critical piece of work that needed to be done to help inform all those reviews still hasn’t been done. Maybe it’s just me but there is a need for an overarching technical review of the event; that looks at;

• How did the storm event evolve and develop and what is the pattern and distribution of rain in all affected regions over the entire event; where was the flooding and how did it differ over space and time; each region has a good idea of what happened in their region but I don’t know of any piece of work that joined all that together so that we can all learn as much as possible about the total event not just our individual piece of it.
• Where did all the landslides occur, how big were they, what differences were there between regions, how much sediment did they generate and where did it all go.?
• Where did all the infrastructure break, how badly did it break and what differences were there between regions?
• What was the social and economic cost to the community and to individuals? How did those costs vary across regions and why did those variations occur?
• What can we learn about all those who tragically lost their lives so that we can save more lives in the future. And what can we learn about the near-misses? Those who could have died but luckily didn’t.

There was and still is good central Government support for recovery, but we need to ensure that the money was well spent. To do that we have to look at the events of 2023 holistically, from a sound scientific and technical basis so that when the next such event occurs, we know and remember the lessons from the past so that the mistakes that were made are not repeated.

Presenter Murry Cave

Dr Murry Cave is the Principal Scientist with the Gisborne District Council having joined the council in late 2016. Prior roles included management roles in the Ministry of Energy and then Ministry of Commerce as well as a consultant with Ernst and Young where he worked in the energy and international consulting group.

Dr Cave is an experienced Expert Witness having appeared in consent hearings related to Gisborne consent compliance issues relating to Gisborne Forestry and farming prosecutions. He has also been an expert witness before the Environment Court relating to Kuratau River Erosion, Buller Water Conservation Orders, & the Pike River Coal Mine Resource consents. He was an Expert Witness to the Pike River Royal Commission for the Dept of Conservation and others.

At Gisborne District Council, he undertook an in-depth investigation into the impacts of forestry woody debris during Cyclone Cook in 2017 and was lead Council expert for the 2018 Queens Birthday Tolaga Bay Storms Forestry prosecutions. He developed the business case for funding the acquisition of LiDAR over the Gisborne/Tairawhiti region. The many storms the Gisborne-Tairawhiti region since 2017 has been a major focus and he is presently focussed on the science response and recovery for the 5 major storms that have impacted the region so far in 2023

Dr Cave coordinates funding for strategic research within the Council and works closely relationships with external agencies such as GNS, the Universities, NIWA, EQC, Manaaki Whenua LandCare Research and others.

He is a member of the Regional Council Science Managers group, and the Flood Warning group, the Landslides working group and the Natural Hazards Special Interest Group.

Updated design approach & guidance for new instream structures that provides unimpeded fish passage

Eugene Vodjanksy (Water Resource Engineer, BBO), supported by Sjaan Bowie and the Department of Conservation, will present a webinar that provides an overview of the current engineering guidance, design process and considerations for new structures to provide fish passage that is included in the recently released updated National Fish Passage Guidelines.

The Presenters

Eugene Vodjansky is the Principal Water Resource Engineer at Bloxam Burnett & Olliver (BBO). He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the US and a Chartered Member of Engineering NZ, with over 35 years of engineering experience. Eugene has extensive experience in river and stream hydraulics, applying hydraulics to provide suitable environments for aquatic flora and fauna. Eugene is a contributing author of the 2024 NZ Fish Passage Guidelines.

Sjaan Bowie works for the Department of Conservation as a Senior Freshwater Technical Advisor in National Biodiversity, Heritage and Visitor Group. Sjaan has a MSc in Ecology, and has worked for over 20 years for the Department and Councils in freshwater roles predominately focusing on conservation and management of freshwater fish and fish passage. She has been involved in the development of national guidance and tools for improved fish passage management in NZ and a coordinator of the New Zealand Fish Passage Advisory Group.

To register https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eOBRs6mIRUKLcdopUDDXlg

 

Cyclone Gabrielle was the largest severe weather event in a generation for Northland, and the largest Recovery that Northland CDEM has coordinated in its 25-year history. The impacts to Northland were in excess of $1 bn, and work is only just being wound down to business-as-usual after two years of active Recovery.

This session will cover:

• Recovery 101 – including what are the roles for CDEM, Councils, and government agencies

• Linking community consultation and Recovery planning

• What CDEM Recovery Managers need from Council staff – and what we can offer

• The link between Recovery and resilience / planning for the long term.

Mark Trüdinger is the Group Recovery Manager for Northland CDEM. As part of Northland’s Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery, he has worked with more than 200 organisations over the last two years. Mark was a co-founder of the Recovery Specialists’ Network of Aotearoa and is convenor of the Community Wellbeing Recovery Network. Most recently, Mark has become a peer reviewer for Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal and book reviewer for the Journal of Disaster Studies.

To register https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wDmd0uyeRk2BJCKnSbSMEg

We often don't think about the "out of sight, out of mind" issue of shallow groundwater, how it is currently affecting people and property, and how the impacts will change under climate change. Shallow groundwater can impact on flooding, liquefaction susceptibility, building design, infrastructure (including wastewater and stormwater), stormwater design, and health - amongst other things. It presents a related, but different hazard, to surface water flooding as issues can persist for prolonged periods of time and may occur after the peak of surface flooding has passed. In many areas, it can affect the service life and even the operation of stormwater and wastewater systems. Understanding where there are current issues, and where these will change under different climate conditions will be key to making good planning decisions, managing flood events, and use of nature-based solutions.

Presenter Helen Rutter

Helen is a hydrogeological senior research scientist with over 30 years’ expertise, working for Lincoln Agritech Ltd. She has spent 17 years with the British Geological Survey working on varied hydrogeology projects in the UK and Africa and over 17 years in New Zealand. She has expertise in groundwater flooding, catchment characterisation, drinking water safety, resource assessment, recharge processes, geology and geochemistry. Her current areas of interest include:

• impacts of sea level rise and climate change on water resources and groundwater flooding,
• assessment of source protection zones and aquifer vulnerability assessment,
• earthquake impacts on groundwater resources and flooding,
• assessment of groundwater quality impacts from land use change.

She is a Chartered Geologist (Geological Society of London), a Senior Research Adjunct at the University of Canterbury, and a former member of the Executive Committee of the Hydrological Society of NZ.

To register https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gdxtx8BDTBuupnREDFqjaw

The Future of Residential Insurance

Premiums Under Pressure: policy options for the future of residential property insurance

To regsiter https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wFubwZTHS4qbHWcLRXZ9oA

Insurance premiums in Aotearoa New Zealand have risen steeply in recent years, driven partly by increasing natural hazard risk, both globally and locally, and the related rise in reinsurance costs. Locally, insurers are moving to a greater reliance on risk-based pricing. As a result, many property owners are struggling to afford their insurance premiums, resulting in increased under-insurance and non-insurance. As climate change intensifies, premiums are likely to rise further in real terms, especially for properties facing a higher risk of flooding and coastal inundation. Moreover, insurance retreat will become ever more likely for those in high-risk locations. But reduced insurance coverage will lower economic and societal resilience, slow the pace of recovery following major damaging events, impact on housing markets, and exacerbate income and wealth inequality.

Drawing on the recent report of the Helen Clark Foundation and WSP, Premiums Under Pressure, this webinar will explore the options available to policymakers to respond to the challenges posed by climate change, and especially the risks of increased flooding and coastal inundation. Particular attention will be given to the options for residential property insurance.

Presenters: Kali Mercier and Jonathan Boston

Kali Mercier is the WSP Fellow and Deputy Director of the Helen Clark Foundation, and the author of Premiums Under Pressure. She has an extensive background in law, policy, and international development.

Kali Mercier, WSP Fellow, Deputy Director of the Helen Clark Foundation and report author. Kali is a public policy researcher with a focus on climate change, infrastructure and sustainable urban design, and is author of a recent report on Sponge Cities. Previous roles include Principal Advisor at the Ministry of Justice, Policy Director at the NZ Drug Foundation, and human rights advocate for Amnesty UK and other charities overseas.

https://helenclark.foundation/publications-and-medias/premiums-under-pressure/

https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/a-radically-different-world/?srsltid=AfmBOoqpwSNQxjSajWMUE2ed6uP-uv1xxiE2cwSyRYwHVluxdB9NdyYq

Jonathan Boston ONZM is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at Victoria University of Wellington. He was a member of the Expert Working Group on Managed Retreat (2022-23) and the author of A Radically Different World: Preparing for Climate Change (BWB Text, 2024).

Jonathan Boston, ONZM, is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy in the School of Government at Victoria University of Wellington. His research interests include: climate change policy (both mitigation and adaptation); child poverty; governance (especially anticipatory governance); public management; tertiary education funding (especially research funding); and welfare state design. He has served at various times as the Director of the Institute of Policy Studies and the Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. In the early 2000’s he served as a member of the Tertiary Education Advisory Committee and helped design and implement the Performance-Based Research Fund in New Zealand’s tertiary education sector. During 2012-13 he co-chaired the Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty for the Children’s Commissioner. In 2021 he was seconded to the Ministry for the Environment to contribute to policy advice on various aspects of environmental policy, including resource management issues. He served as a member of the Expert Working Group on Managed Retreat for the Ministry for the Environment between August 2022 and June 2023, and has also been assisting the Environmental Defence Society with their current project on climate change adaptation. Over the years he has served on the boards of various non-governmental organizations, such as Oxfam Aotearoa (2013-22).

Recent books and major reports include: Child Poverty in New Zealand (with Simon Chapple) (2014); Governing for the Future: Designing Democratic Institutions for a Better Tomorrow (2017); Safeguarding the Future: Governing in an Uncertain World (2017); Foresight, Insight, and Oversight: Enhancing Long-Term Governance through Better Parliamentary Scrutiny (with David Bagnall and Anna Barry) (2019); Transforming the Welfare State: Towards a New Social Contract (2019); Funding Managed Retreat: Designing a Public Compensation Scheme for Private Property Losses: Policy Issues and Options (2023). He is the editor of Policy Quarterly.

In February 2023 the east coast of Te Ika-a-Māui/ the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand was severely impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle (ETC Gabrielle), leaving a trail of destruction and 9 fatalities. The east coast has a relatively high level of exposure to the impacts of decaying ex-tropical cyclones that move south out of Melanesia/ western Polynesia, often tracking across Hawke’s Bay. ETC Gabrielle was particularly intense with sea surface temperatures in the Tasman Sea playing a part in maintaining that intensity. It’s speed and track brought unprecedented wind, rain and waves/ storm surge - some rain gauges recorded in excess of 500mm in 24 hours and peak intensities in excess of 50mm/hour. Accordingly the damage associated with this event was catastrophic for parts of Hawke’s Bay, in some places shifting residential buildings off their foundations and in other places completely burying houses in silt.

In the weeks following that event central Government instructed local councils to categorise the risk of continued occupation of impacted residential properties, with the highest risk subject to a voluntary Crown ‘buy-out’. PDP was engaged by HBRC to assist with that categorization and in particular that highest risk Category 3 delineation, based on the broad ‘risk to life’ consideration that were so dramatically highlighted with the event – the depth of flooding, velocity, rate of rise, entrained silt and debris volumes. It also included a range of other considerations – geographic features that concentrate the hazard, the availability of safe egress and the complexity of the hazard. The work culminated with the identification of close to 300 Category 3 residential properties subject to voluntary buy-out and the confirmation of around $200M in funding (excluding insurance payouts). The presentation will provide a summary of that work and highlight some of the challenges associated with it.

Ramon is a Water Resources Technical Director for environmental consultants PDP based in Southland/ Murihiku. He’s a river engineer with over thirty years’ experience in the field of civil engineering and has just short of 20 years’ experience in regional sector leadership roles mainly with Otago and Manawatu-Whanganui (Horizons). He’s a Chartered Professional Engineer and current part of the NZ Society on Large Dams management committee.

To Register https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D2NThWW_T1Waw_sr9cIsBg