Latest news with #SouthDunedinFuture
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Real solutions before ‘saving the world'
Flooded streets in South Dunedin and Bathgate Park in June 2015. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY South Dunedin stormwater issues should be sorted out "before we embark on saving the world", a mayoralty candidate says. However, a city councillor argues shaping a climate-resilient future need not get in the way of local solutions. The differing perspectives came from Cr Steve Walker and Future Dunedin political ticket leader and mayoralty hopeful Andrew Simms, while Crs Sophie Barker and Lee Vandervis — another mayoralty candidate — also weighed in. Mr Simms noted it had been 10 years since a large flood in South Dunedin, and he lamented lack of progress in implementing key recommendations from a 2017 report by Opus about stormwater. The South Dunedin Future programme was set up by the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council after the flooding and it is principally about responding to climate change and natural hazards through a long-term plan under development. Mr Simms characterised the programme as offering "a long-term, billion-dollar response to gradual sea-level rise and climate change". "But the Opus report focuses on what South Dunedin urgently needs right now: practical, immediate solutions to mitigate flooding caused by an overwhelmed drainage system." Future Dunedin would advocate for Opus to update its proposals for the council, "to ensure decisions are grounded in sound engineering, not just long-term vision", Mr Simms said. He and Future Dunedin council candidate Conrad Stedman had talked to stormwater engineers and South Dunedin residents and "listened to longtime Surrey St residents whose showers back up with sewage during heavy rain". "We acknowledge the challenges of climate change, but Dunedin ratepayers' money should be spent firstly on solving Dunedin's problems, before we embark on saving the world." Cr Walker took issue with the way Mr Simms had framed matters, describing some aspects as misleading. The city council had directed money to immediate issues faced by South Dunedin and there was no agenda to prioritise international climate goals at the expense of local resilience, he said. Cr Walker said work could be done to deal with immediate problems for low-lying communities and shaping a climate-resilient future — "one doesn't have to come at the expense of the other". "While short-term, temporary fixes may look politically attractive, we should caution against knee-jerk reactions if it puts at risk, financially impinges on, or delays the longer-term planning identified in the excellent [South Dunedin Future] programme." Cr Barker said Future Dunedin's position was not greatly at odds with the council's. "While we need to look at the long term and our climate adaptation work, we also need action now to stop people's homes flooding and minimise damage," she said. Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich particularly pushed for a multimillion-dollar package for immediate mitigation and the council voted this year in support of it. Cr Vandervis said sewage erupting in Surrey St without a fix was unforgivable. However, northern parts of the city should not be forgotten and flooding there had historically been more damaging, he said. "Flood events in Dunedin can never be entirely controlled, but having a historically informed overview of all Dunedin flood vulnerability should spread limited resources proportionately to protect the majority of Dunedin residents and businesses."
Scoop
09-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Stormwater 2025: Tackling Flooding And Storms To Build A Climate-Resilient Future
Press Release – Water New Zealand The conference starts on Tuesday, 13 May, with pre-conference workshops on Monday 12 May. Protecting communities from flooding and ensuring a sustainable and climate resilient water future will be a key focus at a major stormwater conference in Rotorua next week. The Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference and Expo 2025 brings together more than 500 delegates, presenters and exhibitors from across Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally to discuss latest challenges and solutions to stormwater management. 'We have major challenges ahead and we need innovative and affordable solutions to address the growing risk of more intense rainfall events and flooding, says Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe. Keynote speakers at the conference include Climate Change and Local Government Minister, Simon Watts, Insurance Council chief executive Chris Faafoi and the programme manager for South Dunedin Future, Jonathan Rowe, who's heading an adaptation plan for low lying and flood affected South Dunedin. Other keynote speakers are: Nicki Green – Thames Coromandel District Council, Shari Gallop – PDP and University of Waikato, Mike Adams – Stantec USA, Allan Leahy – Auckland Council. The conference will also showcase collaborative bicultural stormwater management solutions between councils, communities and iwi. 'We need to ensure all communities, including hapu and iwi, work together to ensure we're adopting the best of international knowledge and home-grown solutions. 'We know we can't just hard engineer, or pipe our way, out of many of the problems facing us. 'That's why stormwater management is increasing about adopting nature-based and water sensitive urban design solutions as well as traditional piped networks.' The conference starts on Tuesday, 13 May, with pre-conference workshops on Monday 12 May.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Stormwater 2025: Tackling Flooding And Storms To Build A Climate-Resilient Future
Protecting communities from flooding and ensuring a sustainable and climate resilient water future will be a key focus at a major stormwater conference in Rotorua next week. The Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference and Expo 2025 brings together more than 500 delegates, presenters and exhibitors from across Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally to discuss latest challenges and solutions to stormwater management. 'We have major challenges ahead and we need innovative and affordable solutions to address the growing risk of more intense rainfall events and flooding, says Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe. Keynote speakers at the conference include Climate Change and Local Government Minister, Simon Watts, Insurance Council chief executive Chris Faafoi and the programme manager for South Dunedin Future, Jonathan Rowe, who's heading an adaptation plan for low lying and flood affected South Dunedin. Other keynote speakers are: Nicki Green – Thames Coromandel District Council, Shari Gallop – PDP and University of Waikato, Mike Adams – Stantec USA, Allan Leahy – Auckland Council. The conference will also showcase collaborative bicultural stormwater management solutions between councils, communities and iwi. 'We need to ensure all communities, including hapu and iwi, work together to ensure we're adopting the best of international knowledge and home-grown solutions. 'We know we can't just hard engineer, or pipe our way, out of many of the problems facing us. 'That's why stormwater management is increasing about adopting nature-based and water sensitive urban design solutions as well as traditional piped networks.' The conference starts on Tuesday, 13 May, with pre-conference workshops on Monday 12 May.
Otago Daily Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
DCC negligent: flood action group
The council has been accused of negligence and deliberate appeasement tactics over South Dunedin flood management. Speaking at hearings for the council's nine-year plan and Local Water Done Well — government reform on the future delivery of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater — Surrey St Flood Action Group convener Lynne Newell said residents had been seeking justice for years on the issue. "We counted over 30 years of fruitless submissions and millions of dollars spent commissioning engineering firms to investigate the waste and stormwater situation in South Dunedin and further afield," she said. "They designed engineering solutions to our problems that could have had us drying out by now, but they were ignored." Ms Newell said the South Dunedin Future programme was a deliberate "delaying tactic" to appease residents. The joint programme between the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council is investigating seven options to respond to climate change and flooding problems in South Dunedin, which range from boosting flood defences to large-scale relocation of homes and infrastructure. The cost of options range from $2 billion to $7.1b. "Nothing new has been learnt from this costly project as many of the people in South Dunedin know," Ms Newell said. "All they have come up with is unknowable, estimated costs, an option of mass exodus of people to God knows where and leave the best land in the city to ducks and eels." She said by diverting wastewater and stormwater from the hill suburbs to South Dunedin, the council was knowingly risking the health of residents. Justice and a public apology was needed for "decades of putting [Surrey St] residents and ultimately the whole of South Dunedin at risk of serious disease and possibly deaths". She said flooding risk across Dunedin and the Taieri was not caused by climate change — it was instead caused by land impermeability from increased housing development, population density and a decaying piping and pumping network system. "At the end of the day, the most important thing a council has to do is ensure that you've got clean drinking water, that you're taking away the sewage and that people can travel safely around the city. "That's your core business — all the other frills are nice-to-have. She also asked for the council to implement a "mana-enhancing" media policy for South Dunedin, to give residents and business owners respect and promote the area as a valuable flat land asset.
