Auckland Council expects to complete the purchase of four storm-affected properties today, the first high-risk homes to be acquired in Auckland following the devastating storms early this year.
“After a challenging year on many fronts, getting these buyouts over the line ahead of Christmas is a huge milestone for Auckland’s Recovery, but particularly for these families,” says Mat Tucker, Group Recovery Manager.
“While this won’t feel like great news for many still waiting, this is a good sign that we are shifting up a gear heading into the 2024. Given the scale and complexity of what we’re dealing with in Auckland, it’s good to be in line with progress in other storm affected regions.”
Home categorisation
The Recovery Office is working through more than 2200 detailed flood and landslip assessments and categorising properties based on whether there is an intolerable risk to life from future weather events. Almost 1600 desktop assessments and over 1000 site assessments have been completed. Over 500 property categories have been confirmed and more than 60 Category 3 property owners are now working through the voluntary buyout process.
Mr Tucker says there are now more flood-related categorisations being delivered in areas across Auckland. This reflects the fact that flood risk solutions are generally less clear-cut than landslip risks.
“We are a good way through our flood assessments, and these have highlighted that a range of solutions are going to be needed because of the diverse needs in different urban and rural communities. But with critical funding and policy foundations now in place, we’re starting to deliver surety at a more consistent pace with new categories being confirmed every week,” Mr Tucker explains.
“While our teams are working hard to complete this work as quickly as possible, we have had to manage expectations. This includes clarifying that most homeowners will have received categorisations by the end of March, with the more complex areas being completed by mid-year.”
“Through the holiday period, especially leading up to Christmas, we want to remind those struggling that there is a range of support available through our navigators for both practical and emotional/mental wellbeing needs. So, please get in touch - we have some navigators available over the break to help.”
The Auckland Anniversary Floods and Cyclone Gabrielle had widespread impact in Auckland from the top to the bottom of the region. Since then, a significant amount of foundational work has been done to enable recovery, not least a programme of support for private property owners. This includes securing a substantial amount of funding for the scheme, the people and resources needed to deliver the support, and robust policies and guidelines to help make good decisions.
Find out more at https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/recovery/
