Community asked to co-design flood risk and resilience strategy for Anzac Parade

Residents, property owners and other key stakeholder of Anzac Parade in Whanganui are being invited to participate in co-designing a strategy to reduce flood risk and building community resilience in the area.

Community consultation has been commissioned by Horizons Regional Council and is being led by Massey University Professor Bruce Glavovic and Dr. Martín García Cartagena, both experts in natural hazards planning, flood risk reduction, and community resilience building.
 
Horizons river management operations manager Kyle Russell says Anzac Parade is a known flood risk area, which was highlighted during the 2015 flooding event that left residents displaced and did damage to infrastructure and approximately 100 houses.
 
“Initial community meetings will include an overview of the flood risk situation and explain the rationale and approach for developing a Resilience Strategy. Attendees will be asked to share their views and experiences to help build shared understanding about Anzac Parade flood risk and resilience in a changing climate,” says Mr Russell.
 
“Affected residents and property owners will be contacted directly about ways they can register for any one of 18 meetings being held between 31 July and 2 August 2021. The number of meetings reflects the level of interest expected and it is hoped that holding them between 9.00am and 8.30pm will enable as many people as possible to attend.”
 
“Once these initial orientation and information gathering meetings have been held there will be opportunities for the wider Whanganui community to contribute”, says Mr Russell.
 
Feedback from Anzac Parade stakeholders, tangata whenua, Te Rūnanga o Tūpoho, Whanganui District Council and key agencies within central government will be incorporated into a report and recommendations presented to Horizons Regional Council councillors.
 
Find out more about the Anzac Parade resilience strategy on the Horizons website.