Community event
Lower Taieri’s Flood Protection Liaison Group
Wednesday 22 April 2026
7:30 pm
Venue: West Taieri Rugby Club, 102 Formby Street, Outram
Learn more about Lower Taieri’s Flood Protection Liaison Group
Wednesday 22 April 2026
7:30 pm
Venue: West Taieri Rugby Club, 102 Formby Street, Outram
Learn more about Lower Taieri’s Flood Protection Liaison Group
The Lower Taieri Flood Protection and Drainage Scheme Liaison Group invites members of the community to attend this public meeting to hear updates, discuss key issues of the scheme, and help shape the future focus of the group.
This is an opportunity to stay informed, ask questions, and share your local knowledge.
The meeting will run as follows:
Flood protection on the Taieri Plain is crucial for people’s safety, livelihoods, land, and infrastructure. ORC manages a major flood protection scheme and two drainage schemes that reduce flood risk and support land drainage across nearly 25,900 hectares — including Mosgiel, Outram and Henley.
The Lower Taieri Flood Protection Scheme was the first to be developed in Otago, with work beginning as early as 1870. The East and West Taieri Drainage Schemes provide reliable drainage for rural land across the wider Taieri area.
Together, these schemes include:
This infrastructure is maintained year-round to ensure it continues to perform effectively.
The Lower Taieri Liaison Group is an informal committee that works alongside ORC to represent the local community.
The group:
Feel free to contact one of the group’s representatives for East Taieri, Simon Parks, at simonparks40@gmail.com or call 027 279 9513.
The Lower Taieri Plain has a long history of flooding, and development of drainage and flood protection works goes back to the early 1900s.
The East Taieri Drainage Scheme, divided by Silver Stream, directs northern drains to the Upper Ponding area and southern drains to the Lower Ponding area. Low Taieri River flow uses gravity drainage; high flows need pump stations.
The West Taieri Drainage Scheme, part of the Lower Taieri Flood Protection Scheme, is bordered by the Taieri River, Lake Waipori, and the West Taieri Contour Channel. Unlike other schemes, it relies entirely on pump stations at Waipori, Henley, and Lake Ascog due to its low elevation, often at or below sea level.
The Lower Taieri Flood Protection and Drainage Scheme Liaison Group connects the Otago Regional Council with local communities to improve flood protection and drainage in the Lower Taieri area, helping keep people and properties safer from floods.
