Infrastructure Recovery Updates

Our teams and contractors continue to make steady progress repairing damage to infrastructure following recent severe weather events. While some disruption remains, work is ongoing across the district to restore essential services and improve resilience.

Roading Updates

Work on damaged roads remains a priority to ensure safe and reliable access for our communities.

What’s happening now:

• Repairs are underway at multiple sites affected by the 2026 weather events.
• Temporary fixes (such as single-lane access and traffic management) might be in place where full repairs will take more time.
• Detailed engineering assessments are guiding permanent repair solutions, particularly in areas with ongoing ground movement.

What to expect:

• Some roads may have traffic controls, reduced speeds, or limited access while repairs are completed.
• Weather conditions may impact timelines, particularly for sites requiring stabilisation work.
• We will continue to update affected residents directly if access is constrained.

Updated: 20 August 2026

Stormwater Updates

Waihī Beach has experienced several severe storm events in recent years, including May 2023, and multiple events in early 2026. We know how challenging this has been for the community, with flooding affecting homes, businesses, and access across the area.

Stormwater management in Waihī Beach is complex. The area is low-lying, close to the coast, and has limited ability for water to drain away naturally. This means some parts of Waihī Beach will always be prone to flooding.

While we can’t completely eliminate flooding, we are working to improve stormwater drainage and reduce the impacts as much as we can.

Project information can be found here: Waters Projects

Preparedness

Floods are New Zealand’s number one hazard in terms of frequency, losses and declared civil defence emergencies. Floods can cause injury and loss of life, damage to property and infrastructure, loss of stock, communities to become isolated, and contamination of water and land.

While we are working to improve stormwater systems, we can't completely eliminate flooding. There are steps you can take to help protect your home.

Home preparedness information can be found here and more information on the hazards which can affect us can be found here

Building Designation

The Building Act provides a system and powers for managing buildings that are in an area that has been affected by an emergency. These powers are set out in Subpart 6B of the Building Act and allow for the designation of an area for building emergency management.

A designated area is an area approved by the relevant decision maker. It allows a responsible person (usually the territorial authority) to take specific actions under the Building Act to manage buildings in an emergency. The provisions allow a territorial authority to manage the process from response through to recovery. They also provide certainty to building owners and occupiers about how the safety of their buildings will be managed.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council have reviewed the designation of an area for emergency management today 29 July 2026.

The designation has been reviewed and remains in place for the following identified streets and defined road sections:

Chelmsford Road, Tahawai - Esplanade Road, Ongare Point - Potu Road, Ongare Point - Emerton Road, Waihi Beach - Harbour View Road – Omokoroa - Lynley Park Drive, Omokoroa - Omokoroa Road, Omokoroa - 1110 to 1210 Welcome Bay Road, Welcome Bay - Reid Road, Welcome Bay - Rocky Cutting Road, Welcome Bay - Waitao Road, Welcome Bay - Oropi Road, Oropi

The district-wide impacts of the emergency have substantially reduced. The majority of properties no longer require management under Subpart 6B powers. Residual risk is now geographically confined to specific streets where multiple affected properties remain. Continued district-wide designation is no longer proportionate or in the public interest.

• Western Bay of Plenty District Locations.pdf (PDF, 1.4MB)
• List of Affected Streets.docx (DOCX, 15KB)

Looking Ahead

Recovery is a phased process. While immediate repairs are progressing, planning is also underway for more permanent solutions to reduce future risk and strengthen infrastructure resilience.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as this work continues.