Waihī Beach Stormwater Projects

Latest news - August 2026 update

Come along to our Waihī Beach Stormwater Projects Open Day

The Council, together with the Waihī Beach Stormwater Liaison Group, invite you to our Waihī Beach Stormwater Projects Open Day.

The event will provide updates on the many stormwater projects we’re working on across the area. You’ll also have the opportunity to speak directly with project teams, Council staff, Elected Members, and other community members involved in these projects, and ask questions.

Date: Saturday 12 September 2026

Time: 1.30pm – 3.30pm

Venue: Waihī Beach RSA, 99 Beach Road, Waihī Beach

For those who can’t make it to the Open Day, key information shared will also be available on this page following the event.

Combined Stormwater Upgrade Package

Since our last update to you in April, we’ve moved forward with several other local drainage improvements. Our combined stormwater upgrade package is being delivered under a single contract through RZG Isaac Group, to minimise disruption to the community, deliver the work more efficiently, and make better use of Council resources - from contractor coordination to bulk materials purchasing.

This work kicked off in late April 2026 and is expected to be largely completed in August 2026. More detail on progress on these projects is below.

• Beach Road Boardwalk Drain Replacement - The replacement of the ageing timber-lined drain beneath the boardwalk between Beach Road and Marine Avenue is nearing completion, with the new stormwater pipe now in place to safely convey stormwater. The remaining works include reinstating the surrounding area.
• Athenree Montessori Stormwater Improvements - Good progress is being made on the drainage upgrades near the entrance to Athenree Montessori. These improvements will help reduce flooding during wet weather and provide safer access for staff and tamariki.
• Wilson Park and The Crescent Stormwater Improvements - Construction is progressing well on the stormwater improvements. The works include reshaping low-lying areas and improving the way stormwater flows through the surrounding area during heavy rainfall, helping to reduce ponding and improve overall drainage.
• Didsbury Drive Stormwater Improvements - The drainage capacity upgrade along Didsbury Drive to help reduce surface flooding and improve stormwater performance in the area, has now been completed.

Waihī Beach Earth Dam and Downstream Catchment

The Waihī Beach Earth Dam was built in the 1960s as a water reservoir, providing the town water supply until the 90s. It was not designed as a flood protection system, but more recently the dam’s role has shifted to managing stormwater and providing recreational benefit.

Severe weather events, including the evacuation of the campground in January and March this year, has highlighted how sensitive this area is and how wide-ranging the impacts of flooding can be for residents, visitors, and local businesses.

The Earth Dam no longer meets modern dam safety standards, meaning changes are required. New government regulations require dams to be able to withstand significant flood and earthquake events, and keeping the dam in its current form is not an option.

Our investigations have shown that changing the dam may also affect how stormwater moves through the wider catchment. As part of the ongoing design process, a range of options are being considered to help manage these changes, including potential improvements within One Mile Creek.

Work to date

• In May 2025, we asked the community how you use the Earth Dam reserve and what about it matters most to you. The feedback received through Your Place and at the community event has played an integral part in guiding this work (see the Your Place page for more background information).
• Extensive investigations and feasibility design have now been completed, based on removal of the dam as an option.
• The work has focused on identifying practical ways to remove the dam and manage the increased flood risk. Early engagement has been undertaken with key stakeholders including the Stormwater Liaison Group, Tasman Holiday Parks, Surf Club, mana whenua, and affected landowners.

What's next

• A Waihī Beach Stormwater Projects Open Day is being held on Saturday 12 September at the Waihī Beach RSA where we’ll share more information and the next steps for the project, including what this means for the Earth Dam and the One Mile Creek downstream catchment.

Other stormwater work

• Darley Drain, Brighton Reserve, and Wallnutt Avenue

We’re progressing planning work to improve stormwater capacity and reduce flooding risk across the Darley Drain catchment, including Brighton Reserve and nearby streets.

While Wallnutt Avenue is a separate project, it is closely linked to Darley Drain and Brighton Reserve work. Where possible, investigations and design work are being coordinated to improve efficiency and minimise disruption.

The Wallnutt Avenue Stormwater Project focuses on improving how stormwater flows through the area during heavy rain. The aim is to redirect stormwater more effectively so the network can perform better and reduce surface flooding.

Once the Darley Drain and Brighton Reserve Stormwater upgrades are completed, the next stage of network improvements for Wallnutt Avenue can be carried out.

The projects are currently in the detailed design phase and we will share details of what these upgrades will look like, along with the timeline to undertake this work, at the Open Day 0n 12 September.

We know the reserve, and especially the playground, is an important place for the community. We’ll do everything we can to minimise disruption during construction and keep access open wherever it’s safe to do so. Once finished, these upgrades will improve drainage, enhance safety, and help make the reserve an even better place to enjoy.

Ōtawhiwhi Stormwater Drain

Several options are being considered for the Ōtawhiwhi Drain. This work involves working with local iwi and includes assessing the wider stormwater network to ensure any upgrades or new infrastructure deliver the best possible stormwater outcomes. It recognises that Otawhiwhi drain is a low-lying point in the area and plays an important role in how stormwater moves through the catchment.

Bowentown and Pio Shores stormwater improvements and upgrades

We are improving how stormwater is managed in Bowentown and Pio Shores so the area can recover more quickly after heavy rain. This includes investigating opportunities or upgrades to key parts of the stormwater network, improving how water moves through the catchment, and strengthening the dune soakage system that supports drainage in this area.

Bowentown, like the rest of Waihī Beach, has natural geography that makes stormwater management challenging. The land is very flat and low‑lying, groundwater sits close to the surface, and much of the drainage relies on the coastal dunes to absorb water. Because of this, Bowentown and Pio Shores will always experience flooding during heavy rain. Our focus is on lessening the effects as much as we can, and improving how effectively water drains away after storms.

Over the years we have carried out a number of investigations to understand how stormwater behaves in this area and where improvements would make the biggest difference. These studies confirmed that while the dune system can absorb stormwater, it can only do so at a limited rate, and that some parts of the network needed more capacity to move water away during large rainfall events. Using this information, we have upgraded pump stations and installed larger stormwater pipes to help the system perform better during and after storms.

If you would like more detail about both the January and March 2026 storms and how the system responded, our FAQs provide additional information.

Seaforth Road

As part of improving stormwater performance across Bowentown, we are currently upgrading stormwater infrastructure along Seaforth Road, which is a key route for moving water through the catchment.

The contract for the Seaforth Road stormwater improvements has been awarded to J Swap Contractors, with construction scheduled to begin in September 2026.

This project was originally planned to begin earlier, however delaying means we can deliver both stormwater improvements and road upgrades together. This approach avoids the need to return later for additional works and will deliver better long-term outcomes for the area.

This project includes upgrades to the stormwater network, such as new pipes, inlets, and overland flow paths. The necessary stormwater works have been incorporated into the wider Transport project to avoid the need to disrupt the newly upgrade road in the future.

Find out more here.

Background

Waihī Beach is a special town, located in a unique environment - but that environment brings its own set of challenges for the people who live there. It’s low lying, with little to no natural drainage and is close to the coastline – these factors combined make it difficult to drain stormwater away from the town during heavy rain. Because of this, some areas of Waihī Beach will always have a level of flooding.

We’re working with the Waihī Beach community to prioritise and plan a range of projects that will help provide relief from flooding within the Northern catchments of the town. Our focus is on ensuring that we’re making progress on the most important projects as quickly as possible to keep you safe. Each upgrade is aligned with our agreed 'Level of Service' which is to protect habitable floors from flooding in a 10% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) event or 10% likelihood of an event occurring in any given year - meaning these projects should help reduce the frequency of flooding but are unlikely to eliminate all flooding.

These webpages will be your hub for the upcoming projects aimed at safeguarding the Waihī Beach community's future, and a list of what maintenance we’re doing regularly.