Building consents policy comes home to roost

By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

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The Auckland anniversary floods have brought renewed calls from Auckland councillors for a review of Council’s policies around granting building consents in hazardous areas. At the Planning, Environment and Parks committee on February 9, Cr Chris Darby said Council’s latest monthly housing update showed that in the past year, 10 per cent of new dwelling consents were in hazard zones.

The latest February report showed 214 dwellings consented in December were within hazard zones, 16 per cent of dwelling consents for the month.

“It is a wake-up (call). We have got to act on this information,” Darby said.

“The rolling average of consents granted in hazard zones in the past 12 months was 2358. Those hazard zones are flood plains, flood-prone areas, inundation zones and erosion zones.”

He said thousands of people may have moved into hazard zones without understanding what that meant.

Darby said he had tried to grapple with the way the floods had been described.

“I have heard words like ‘unprecedented’, ‘one in 200’, ‘nothing we could have done could have prevented this’, and I have been saying to myself all those descriptions are not appropriate.”

He said the descriptions sounded like an excuse.

Cr Mike Lee asked Council officers if it was possible to pause the consenting process because of Auckland’s State of Emergency.

Chief of strategy Megan Tyler said she was unaware if there were emergency provisions that would enable Council to trump the Resource Management Act.

Cr Sharon Stewart said she had been a broken record with her concerns around flooding.

“I said one day it is going to come home to bite; we are allowing development to go on flood plains. (I said) it is going to happen and it has happened,” Stewart said.

Several councillors suggested Auckland needed a moratorium on building consents in flood-prone areas.

Mayor Wayne Brown expressed concern about Aucklanders “lawyering up” to transfer blame to Council for the floods.

“There are a number of places where we have seen inappropriate forms of construction and inappropriate intensification efforts in valleys,” he said.

He said there were developments that were turned down by Council, but developers could override Council by going to the Environment Court.

Megan Tyler said that the policy settings that allowed building consents in hazard zones might need to change.

“We are looking at those policy settings because maybe the settings in the Unitary Plan or in our design standards are not good enough anymore,” Tyler said.

Council staff will report back to committee on March 2 with the scope of the Auckland anniversary floods investigation and its next steps.

The beginning of 2023 promised, at long last, to be disruption free. Sadly this was not the case, with Cyclone Gabrielle causing widespread disruption around the district and across Aotearoa. Our thoughts are with all those who have suffered damage and loss, especially with those who have lost loved ones. Aroha nui.

Despite the horror, these events always bring out the best in Kiwis. We continue to hear of many stories of bravery in adversity, including that of the remarkable Kihi cousins who rescued upwards of thirty people in their jet boat in the Esk Valley, showing incredible ingenuity and fortitude. Locally, many people have been supporting neighbours and whānau, ensuring those impacted have had shelter and food. We are a community that cares for one another, and at times like these the togetherness of the community is remarkable.

Chatting with students, it was fascinating to hear the number of board games that had been pulled out of the cupboard when the power went down - although a small lesson compared to the experiences of others

- long may that continue. So here at Mahurangi, the year has started with students full of good humour and positivity. There is a lovely tone around the school, which is a real credit to them and their families. This is especially true of our seniors, who do set the culture in the way they conduct themselves. Well done, wh ā nau.

We have welcomed new staff from a variety of backgrounds and experience, all of whom have settled in well. Our new Year 7’s have also quickly made themselves at home, and as I write, they are enjoying their EOTC week. The goals for this week are for our new students to identify as part of Mahurangi College, get to know each other through fun experiences and explore a range of EOTC activites. Trips include a visit to the Warkworth Museum, a whakawhanaungatanga experience in our school marae, an afternoon of water sliding, a day at the Cement Works and an afternoon walking tour of the Warkworth township.

International students have flocked back to the College, with our students hosting visitors from Korea and Argentina. Currently there are eighty internationals on the roll, some just for a few weeks, and others for longer stays. It will have been a memorable experience for these students, experiencing the cyclone, coping far from home without electricity or Internet, but then experiencing the resilience and unwavering hospitality of our host families. Thank you so much to everyone involved. Our internationals bring vibrancy and energy to our College, and it is great for our students to forge connections with youngsters from other countries.

On the sporting front, congratulations to James Elder who has been selected for the NZ U16 Football squad, an awesome achievement and testimony to James’ skill and dedication. We had many students representing North Harbour too at the recent Touch Nationals. Our thanks to Kyra Norton who won a prize of $500 to be spent on sports equipment for her school, courtesy of Waddell Associates.

Our congratulations also go to photography scholarship winners Zoe Knapp Spens-Black (above left) and Finn Stevenson (above right) who helped maintain our enviable success in the Arts.

Now, as we all get our heads around the magnitude of the cleanup and rebuilding ahead, it’s great to see our whānau showing us that they are able to move forward with a positive attitude. Kia kaha.

Tobey Sykes

HEAD BOY

Academic Blue for Excellence

NCEA 1 & NCEA 2

Member of UWH Senior

Member of Kapa Haka, Ngāti Manuhiri Seniors