Whangamata Ratepayers Stormwater Action Group:

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WRSAG was formed in 2023 to pressure council to drain the Williamson Park Lake following cyclones Hale and Gabrielle to allow the pipe network to discharge and drain surface flood water off Mary, Sylvia, Bellona, Kiwi and Tui Roads and the Williamson Golf Course.

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In response Council created the TCDC Stormwater Improvement Project and invited 3 members of WRSAG to participate in a series of workshops. The aim of the workshops was to create a master plan to deal with surface flooding.

There have been 6 workshops and 2 walk arounds with the drainage consultants.

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Key findings to date:

1. Council initially claimed surface flooding would not be improved by reducing the water level in the Williamson Pond.

2. Council has since had an about face and installed a pipe through the weir. Draining has improved as a result.

3. This is NOT the first time residents have been up in arms over council’s failure to deal with flooding issues in Whangamata. Previous groups were formed in 2003 and 2017.

4. Since cyclone Bola (1988) council has commissioned at least a dozen expert reports advising of flood mitigation measures that are required. Many of these reports remain withheld on the grounds they are have been lost or too contentious for ratepayers to see, or irrelevant.

5. WRSAG has filed over 20 information requests for stormwater reports and information. We are still getting these released. Withholding reports paid with rates is a breach of LGOIMA and councils’ significance and engagement policy.

6. Council is NOT being open or transparent in workshops as staff withhold relevant information (we suspect by instructions from Governance).

7. We are of the view staff are facing a difficult time dealing with ongoing historical poor decisions and failure to follow consultant recommendations

8. Council is taking media credit claiming inviting WRSAG into workshops is community engagement despite refusing to provide reports for us to evaluate and debate.

9. Council has and is continuing to make decisions that are not being discussed with WRSAG or the public. Some of these include the pipe duplication into Williamson Park, create a wetland in Williamson Park, install gross pollutant traps in Williamson Park and the blanket flood model mapping letters to 3500 owners.

10. There is apparently $9.1M available for stormwater improvements in Whangamata. Our concern is council is making decisions that may not meet communities expectations or needs or be correctly prioritized.

11. WRSAG understand the $9.1M approved in the LTP is yet to be adopted into annual plans so can still be vetoed.

12. Council has commissioned and paid for 2 master plans following the 2017 cyclones that remain withheld as at today’s date.

13. Councils promise the purpose of the workshops was to create a master plan is false because they already have 2.