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HEAD OF LAKE WHAKATIPU

COMMUNITY UPDATE 29 | SEPTEMBER 2023

Kia ora koutou,

Here is our programme update for September, which includes a recap of the recent community workshops, where we discussed draft community outcomes based on previous community engagement sessions and feedback.

There is still an opportunity to tell us what you think. It will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete an online survey, depending on the length of your answers. Feedback closes 11.59pm on Friday, 29 September 2023.

The social and economic impact assessment is kicking off soon, so please email us if you would like to be involved and we’ll put you in touch with the consultant team.

We also have updates about Dart-Rees floodplain management and two hazard assessments, plus a response to feedback regarding a general comment we made about the frequency of flooding impacts to Kinloch Road access.

Recapping the recent community workshops

Thanks to all the community members who were able to join us for our two workshop sessions on 31 August.

We hope you found these workshops a useful opportunity to learn about and discuss the future challenges and ways we can adapt to these in light of our changing landscape and climate.

Special thanks to QLDC, Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management, NIWA and the Glenorchy School PTFA for helping us make these workshops a success.

Here’s what we covered:

• Jean-Luc Payan (ORC’s Manager Natural Hazards) gave a presentation about what stage we are at in the adaptation programme.

   

• We then workshopped the draft community outcomes that will guide a Natural Hazards Adaptation Strategy and help us measure how it is working.

   

• We finished with a series of discussions across four tables where we learned about the various ways we could adapt to changes at the Head of the Lake, and the different ways these could impact the community and meet your needs.

   

• These discussions focused on a long-list of adaptation options – from things we are already doing right now, to things we could do in the future.

   

Your input is crucial for us to get back to you with a shorter list of possible adaptation responses that reflect the community’s needs and to discuss how those responses could form ‘pathways’ to manage risks and adapt to changes in the long term.

We are currently studying all of your feedback and notes from our discussions to inform our next steps. We will keep you updated with each step through this newsletter.

Help shape a Glenorchy natural hazards adaptation strategy — there’s still time to give your feedback

If you missed the workshops, you can still have your say about the draft community outcomes we have heard so far, based on previous community engagement sessions and feedback.

These outcomes are needed to guide a Natural Hazards Adaptation Strategy for the Head of Lake Whakatipu, and to help us measure how it’s working. Tell us what you think. Do you agree with these draft community outcomes? Is anything missing?

It will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete, depending on the length of your answers.

Feedback closes 9am on Monday, 2 October 2023.

If you’d like to recap where we are at with this adaptation programme, please visit our website to see the reports and get answers.

The social impact assessment project

The social and economic impact assessment led by a team of consultants will be kicking off soon. Please email us if you would like to be involved, and the consultant team will be in touch.

Image: Historic red shed at the Glenorchy wharf

Dart-Rees floodplain management

We are in the process of selecting a consultant to provide expert advice on floodplain management interventions for flooding and erosion hazards.

This proposed project will follow on from the initial assessments reported by Damwatch Ltd in 2022, with a scope focusing on two main areas:

1. Assessment of potential engineered flood management for the Rees River floodplain and Glenorchy township, such as raising or modifying the existing Rees-Glenorchy floodbank structure or creating new structures to reduce overland flood flows from the Rees River into Glenorchy Lagoon.

    

2. Assessment of the potential use of a ‘nature-based solutions’ approach for the wider Dart and Rees floodplain areas, such as the use of vegetative buffers for erosion management or flood mitigation.

We are pleased to announce that we have received funding support towards this study from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), through its ‘Nature Based Solutions for Resilience Planning’ programme.  

Image: Rees River Delta

Natural hazards assessment updates

Natural hazards risk assessment.

A natural hazard risk assessment project is underway. This project will provide more detail on the risks from the main natural hazard events which may impact Glenorchy or Kinloch.  

Buckler Burn flood hazard assessment.

A flood hazard assessment for the Buckler Burn has been completed and reviewed by an independent expert. We will carry out further assessments into the potential feasibility of flood hazard mitigation approaches, and then aim to report all findings to the community in November 2023.

Image: View from the Glenorchy Lagoon

Kinloch Road

We received feedback following the recent community engagement work regarding a general comment we made about the frequency of flooding impacts to Kinloch Road access.

The road access has been relatively unaffected by flooding in recent years, with just three road closures since early 2021, each of only around 24 hours duration.

We would like to clarify that the road access to Kinloch is not necessarily closed due to flooding every year, although in some years, the road has been closed on two to three occasions. 

Over recent years, QLDC has undertaken physical works to build up and protect affected parts of the road and this has reduced the impact of flooding.

The lower frequency of road disruptions in the last three years may also be due to the natural fluctuation in river flow patterns with the influence of La Niña weather conditions, illustrated by the graph below showing the year-to-year variations in the number of higher flow events in the Dart River.

ORC and QLDC are working with the local community to agree long-term solutions and outcomes for floodplain management – this work will draw on the findings of previous technical assessments by Geosolve (2016), LandRiver Sea Consulting (2022) and Damwatch Engineering (2022), and other work in progress such as the Social Impact Assessment which will be starting shortly.

Image: Dart River flow chart

As always, we value your feedback

This adaptation programme was initiated because complex, increasing natural hazards in the Head of Lake Whakatipu require a comprehensive management response that takes a long-term view and encompasses all types of natural hazards.

This is your community, and we want to work with you to develop understanding and resilience. Check here to learn more about the whole programme.

If you have questions or need information, visit our website to see the reports and get answers.

You can also speak to a member of the ORC Natural Hazards team on 0800 474 082 or email us for more information at headofthelake@orc.govt.nz.

We will provide responses to any emailed questions and facilitate answers from our consultants if needed.

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Contacts

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with us, please email us at headofthelake@orc.govt.nz.