Latest news with #Pihema
NZ Herald
10-08-2025
- Climate
- NZ Herald
Heavy rain tests Kawakawa flood works; calls for more protection
Pihema, a Bay of Islands–Whangaroa Board member for the Far North District Council, received more than 60 reports of damage and expected more once assessments in harder-hit areas like Waiomio were completed. He was concerned the infrastructure might have caused new problems by speeding up water flow. The amount of water in the catchment was overwhelming — the most he'd seen since Bola, he said. 'We spent millions upon millions for flood mitigation in our area and we're still seeing these issues — and worse than they've been in years. 'As much as I respect the work done, we're starting to see it affecting our people downstream,' Pihema said. He said the worst-hit areas in Moerewa were on the southern side of State Highway 1. In Kawakawa, the deflection wall was working but not enough to protect businesses, such as Kawakawa Engineering at the eastern end of the town. NRC's community resilience group manager Louisa Gritt said hydrology modelling contradicted Pihema's concerns. Roading damage caused by last week's flooding in Moerewa. Photo / Roddy Pihema Modelling for the Otiria/Moerewa Spillway and Bridge showed downstream effects at SH1's Three Bridges were less than 10mm. The confluence of the Waiharakeke River and Otiria Stream is upstream of that point, meaning flow remains unchanged from before the works. Gritt said flow previously blocked by roads and railways and directed toward Otiria-Moerewa now follows its natural path toward the Waiharakeke, with no additional water introduced. The Kawakawa Deflection Bank was designed to divert floodwater from shops, protecting less than 2% of the 1km-wide floodplain and causing negligible change in flood levels, she said. Camuso confirmed the Bowling Club was not part of the original flood mitigation priorities, which had focused on Turntable Hill, the deflection bank, and the Otiria-Moerewa Spillway. Pihema warned flooding was becoming more serious because of changing weather patterns and compromised natural drainage from wetland destruction and impervious construction materials. He said improved maintenance of culverts and drainage systems was crucial, and a network of local representatives was working with FNDC to ensure more regular upkeep. He feared flooding in the district could eventually cost a family dearly. The public couldn't always be relied upon to use common sense, he said. Despite signage and publicity, another vehicle was left in a flood-prone riverside carpark behind Kawakawa's Te Hononga Hundertwasser community hub — the same spot where Pihema had rescued a woman asleep in her van during a storm weeks earlier. Pihema acknowledged the financial constraints NRC and the FNDC faced. 'We can identify problems and solutions, but without more central government support, our councils and communities remain hamstrung.' NRC said it had received $19.1 million in central government funding since 2020 through programmes including Shovel Ready and Nature-Based Solutions but noted future funding availability was uncertain in the current economic climate. Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years' experience in journalism, most of which she spent reporting on the courts in Gisborne and the East Coast.
NZ Herald
16-07-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Flood monitor Roddy Pihema saves woman and dog from Kawakawa flood
However, when he went to check on the situation again about 8pm, the van was still in the same place but up to the tops of its wheels in floodwaters, the woman asleep inside. With high tide expected at 8.30pm, Pihema – using a torch to navigate the darkness – waded through the water and banged on the side of the van until the woman woke up. Pihema feared the vehicle would have floated off within half an hour if it had been left there. The woman was scared and wanted him to drive the van out of the water for her, but Pihema was soaked through from waist-deep water in another part of the parking area, likely to have been contaminated with sewage. He guided her to safety, reassuring her as she reversed the van out of the high water to where he'd earlier recommended she go. 'I didn't even have time to think – flood waters and an incoming tide,' Pihema said. 'But I didn't care. The goal was get her out of there. Priority: safety.' The rescue was made more challenging by Pihema's own health. He had recently had oral surgery and was also recovering from a chest infection, and he was meant to be on stay-at-home orders from his doctor. 'I know I'm not supposed to take risks. But then again, I wouldn't be me if I didn't put it on the line.' After the incident, Pihema said it was frustrating that bystanders had watched the situation but not intervened. 'To the spectators that were just standing there watching as the flood engulfed this poor woman and her van – this could have been your family, your loved one, and you would have just stood there. 'Kaitiakitanga is not a choice – it's a responsibility,' he said. Part of a riverside carpark behind Te Hononga, the Hundertwasser Memorial Park in Kawakawa, is on reclaimed land and is prone to flooding in heavy rain at high tide. Photo / Mike Dinsdale Pihema said it was 'about the fourth or fifth time' he'd had to go to someone's aid in similar conditions. Warning signs in the area weren't enough to deter people from parking there in dangerous weather conditions. If the night had proved one thing, it's that not everyone will make informed decisions, Pihema said. 'And if they do this again and someone like me ain't around, then it will be highly likely that we will see a drowning,' he said. The community board member wants the Far North District Council to formalise a river kaitiaki (guardian) role with the authority to insist people move from unsafe places. It did not necessarily need to be a role for him, but would also suit another knowledgeable local. 'Some spaces require a mātauranga Māori lens. You cannot learn these lessons in a classroom. It comes from decades of interactions with our environment.' He and other volunteers, including Pamela-Anne Simon-Baragwanath and Mike Pihema, regularly monitor flood-prone areas using their own time and resources. 'We don't do it for money. We do it because people matter.' In a later email to the volunteer group, the Northland Regional Council's emergency management specialist, Bill Hutchinson, thanked Pihema for rescuing the woman. It's not known where she is, so the Northern Advocate was not able to contact her for comment. Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years' experience in journalism, most of which she spent reporting on the courts in Gisborne and the East Coast.
NZ Herald
30-04-2025
- Climate
- NZ Herald
Severe rain breaks records in Northland, closes highways and floods areas
Weather systems from the north were behind the downpours. They brought warmer, moist air and heavy rain that caused slips and floods throughout Northland. Floodwaters caused by heavy rain closed State Highway 1 at Cape Rēinga for five hours on Tuesday afternoon. Later that evening, State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge closed after a slip blocked the main route north to Kaitāia. The closure was the second in three days. The first was during Sunday's torrential rain. NZ Transport Agency Northland and Auckland regional manager for maintenance and operations, Jacqui Hori-Hoult, said minor overslips were expected from time to time because of the gorge's challenging geology and varying terrain. She said they were generally easier to manage than the more complex underslips that were repaired after severe storms closed the gorge in 2022. The road was still closed yesterday afternoon with SH10 an available detour. The Mangamuka Gorge was not the only portion of SH1 to suffer from April's weather. Ex-tropical Cyclone Tam caused a slip on the Brynderwyn Hills on Easter Sunday, briefly closing the southbound lane. A vehicle was hit by falling debris, leaving the driver shaken but unhurt. However, rural roads appeared to bear the brunt of April's rains. Many, especially in the Far North, flooded as rivers swelled from three weeks of rain. Winter was still a month away, but already people were feeling the strain of the unusually heavy downpours. Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board member Roddy Hapati Pihema said the wet weather was particularly stressful for people in rural areas. ' ... As they can often become cut off from the main towns and family, not to mention resources. 'No roads often means there is no way to see doctors or do shopping. Children can't make it to school or course, then there's the fact that they can't get to their place of employment.' Pihema said communities were working with Civil Defence to prepare for different weather events. Locals with a strong knowledge of their areas, such as Pihema, regularly checked river levels, culverts, and made welfare checks at freedom camping spots. He said while residents were a 'strong breed' who knew how to sustain themselves, more could be done to provide future resilience. Pihema believed a lot of stress would be relieved if more funding for capital works was available to seal and lift roads in rural communities. Hori-Hoult said NZTA planned to undertake resealing and resurfacing at a large number of sites, as well as drainage improvements. She said crews would monitor the network for potholes and damage and respond as quickly as possible. Pihema praised local government's efforts to ensure resilience, saying it was doing 'exceptionally well'. . Research commissioned by AMI, State and NZI Wild Weather Tracker showed more than half of New Zealanders have experienced anxiety over storms and heavy rainfall. The research showed Northlanders had lodged the fourth-most claims for natural hazard events nationwide between last September and February. Otago lodged the most. Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group spokesman Zachary Woods said many areas in Northland had flood-prone roads and farms. He encouraged people to know the risks and have a plan, plus keep up to date with the weather. Woods said there were community-led Civil Defence centres and other Civil Defence centres that opened during adverse weather if required.
