The Ōtiria marae, located near Moerewa in Northland, is one of 35 marae that will be part of a new flood resilience project in New Zealand. This project, the first of its kind in the country, aims to enhance the flood resilience of the most flood-prone marae in Te Tai Tokerau. Specialists from the Northland Regional Council (NRC) will work with the marae to improve their flood resilience, which may involve relocating some marae in the long term.
The marae involved in this project are spread from Cape Reinga in the north to Kaipara’s Naumai near Ruawai in the south. These marae and their connecting roads are frequently affected by flooding. The project will address the amplified impacts of river and sea flooding due to climate change.
Joe Camuso, NRC rivers manager, stated that the $630,000 project will start in July. He emphasized the benefits of the project, which include not only improvements to marae infrastructure, but also reduced pressure on Northland’s emergency services. The project will involve NRC’s rivers, civil defence, and climate change teams, and will focus on the best ways to protect marae from flooding.
The project is almost entirely funded by the government, with $600,000 provided through its Crown Infrastructure Partners and $30,000 contributed by NRC rates. It forms part of NRC’s broader three-year, $700,000 marae flood resilience plans. Approximately 70% of the marae involved in the project are located in the Far North, which was identified as the area with the most severely affected marae.
