Whanganui community invited to Anzac Parade flood resilience public meeting

Whanganui residents are invited to attend a community meeting about Anzac Parade flood resilience on 5 May 2022.

On behalf of Horizons Regional Council, for the past nine months Massey University has been engaging with Anzac Parade residents and other key stakeholders to co-design a strategy to reduce flood risk and increase community resilience in the area.

Horizons river management operation manager Kyle Russell says this has included considering resident views and experiences to inform options.

“The meeting on 5 May is an opportunity for the wider Whanganui community to hear about, and provide feedback on, the work done to date preparing the draft Anzac Parade flood resilience strategy,” he says.

“The draft strategy, including recommendations, is its final stages now. Input from those outside of the immediate area is important as some of the recommendations have the potential to impact everyone in the city.”

Community consultation has been led by Massey University’s experts in disaster resilience, Professor Bruce Glavovic and Dr. Martin Garcia Cartagena to ensure an independent approach to the strategy. This has included interviews with residents and property owners along with three stages of meetings to hear concerns about flood risk, identify options and take onboard feedback.

Anzac Parade resident Sandra Terewi has been interviewed and attended meetings on the draft strategy.
“Massey have been able to research and present various options, which we in the community have talked about for years, into something with tangible pros and cons,” she says.

“Global warming and changes to our environment means flooding is becoming more and more relevant to all of New Zealand. When our awa floods everyone in Whanganui is affected and attending the public meeting is a chance to influence a strategy that looks at long and short-term ways to safeguard our community.”

The meeting will be held from 5.30pm to 7.00pm on Thursday 5 May 2022 in the Whanganui War Memorial Centre Concert Chamber. All Whanganui residents and stakeholders are invited to attend.

Following this meeting Massey will be finalising the draft strategy for submission to Horizons Regional Council in mid 2022.

Information for the strategy has been gathered through research and consultation with Anzac Parade stakeholders, tangata whenua, Te Rūnanga o Tūpoho, geo-tech and property experts, Whanganui District Council and key agencies within central government.

Further information about previous meetings and the Anzac Parade resilience strategy can be found here.