Napier City Council says a $37.4 million stormwater infrastructure project between Maraenui and Te Awa will help prevent future flooding events and allow 400 new Kāinga Ora homes to be built.

A spokesperson for the council said the improvements were one of several upgrades Napier City Council had planned to improve its flood resilience.

The stormwater project is jointly funded by the Council ($25 million) and Kāinga Ora’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund ($12.4 million) and includes a new pump station with a back-up generator, a coastal outfall on Marine Parade and upgraded watercourses.

It is part of the Council’s Long-Term Plan (2021-2031). The $25 million will come from a mix of rates and loan funding.

Napier’s newly elected mayor Richard McGrath says the infrastructure addresses two critical needs, enabling housing for the city’s growing population and protecting communities from climate-driven flooding.

“The government’s IAF investment recognises that resilient stormwater systems are fundamental to sustainable urban growth,” McGrath said.

“The upgrades will redirect high-level stormwater flows from Maraenui south to Te Awa and out to sea, relieving pressure on our northern network and improving water quality discharged to Hawke Bay.

“Increasing the network’s capacity will reduce emergency repair costs and flood-related disruption when extreme weather hits, and enable 400 new homes to help address our housing shortage.”

Protecting skinks too

The project also involves relocating an existing colony of native kōkōwai/northern spotted skink to a new predator-proof enclosure on Marine Parade to make way for the new project.

The skinks, which are protected under the Wildlife Act (1953), inhabit what the council says is the most cost-effective site for the stormwater outfall infrastructure.

Napier City Council’s executive director of Water Services Russell Bond said the skink enclosure was a practical solution that kept the project on schedule.

“We can proceed without delays that would cost far more, and it creates a permanent habitat protection for this rare native species,” Bond said.

The purpose-built habitat is currently under construction just north of the new stormwater outfall on Marine Parade.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, National Aquarium of New Zealand, Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay, mana whenua, community groups and local schools are all involved in the habitat enclosure.

Project overview

The stormwater infrastructure will support residential development in the upstream suburbs of Maraenui, as well as servicing undeveloped land for future residential development in Te Awa.

It is made up of three workstreams.

1. The Te Awa pump station, rising main and coastal outfall will be built adjacent to Te Awa Reserve’s Serpentine Pond. Three axial flow pumps, will be powered by generators with back-up capability. Stormwater will discharge into Hawke Bay via outfall ponds. The work needs specialist electrical, mechanical and hydraulic design work, to navigate complex underground service crossings through KiwiRail and NZTA corridors, with powerlines and gas infrastructure.

2.Upgrades and enhancements to Serpentine Pond, including recontouring it to accommodate the pump station wet well and inlet structure, installing bunds to promote water circulation and minimise odour and stagnation issues.

3. A new open channel extending from the existing Plantation Watercourse to Cowshed Drain will redirect high-level stormwater flows from inner city Maraenui south through Te Awa Reserve pond and out to sea.

Construction timeline:

Now-December 2025: Preliminary consent-required work, including site preparation on Te Awa Avenue and skink enclosure.

Mid-2026: Main construction begins

End of 2027: Target project completion (18-month construction period)

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.