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Environment Canterbury is backing Kaikōura’s flood recovery, while it waits for the Government to step up.
ECan has confirmed its local share of funding of $5.09m to fund flood resilience and recovery works resulting from the July 7 flood.
But the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has advised it is unable to fund a 60 percent share of the anticipated $12.73m repair bill, meaning Canterbury ratepayers could be left with a hefty bill.
ECan chairperson Dr Deon Swiggs said Kaikōura has a small ratepayer base, which meant it required regional and national support.
‘‘The Government hasn’t come to the party to support us at this point in time, so the cost has to be borne by the regional council.
‘‘This is work to support nationally critical infrastructure and it needs to be done.
‘‘We have a responsibility to the region and we will continue to exercise that responsibility for as long as we are around.’’
More than 450mm of rain is believed to have fallen in the July 7 and 8 flood.
But while flood protections and the stopbank held firm to protect the town, millions of cubic metres of gravel was brought down in the flood, raising the river bed by five to seven metres in places and leaving the town vulnerable to a future rain event.
In a report released on Thursday, ECan hazards general manager Leigh Griffiths said the council received an indication earlier this year from MBIE it would consider funding the work from the Kānoa Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF).
But the council was subsequently advised on September 1 the funding would not be available.
The Kaikōura rivers rating district has around 1500 ratepayers.
ECan has spent $2m so far, exhausting the rating district’s annual maintenance budget and reserves.
Funding has also been sought from the National Emergency Management Agency to support the overall flood repair bill estimated at $33m.
If the Kaikōura rivers rating district was left to pay the $33m on its own, it would equate to $22,000 per ratepayer, Dr Swiggs said.
Kānoa Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit general manager regions Kay Read said nearly $200m has been allocated from the RIF to fund regional flood resilience work since the fund was established in 2024.
Of this, more than $18 million was allocated to 12 projects in Canterbury, including $900,000 towards ECan’s $1.5m Kaikōura flood resilience infrastructure upgrades, which got underway just before the July 7 flood.
‘‘The Kaikōura flood and river resilience project was considered alongside other regional infrastructure investment priorities,’’ Ms Read said.
‘‘However, with limited funding remaining in the RIF, Ministers had to make funding decisions across a range of competing priorities.’’
Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith said he has written to several Government Ministers seeking assistance for Kaikōura’s river works and is awaiting a response.
The Kaikōura District Council is facing its own repair bill of up to $5m.
The council’s corporate services senior manager Peter Kearney said he welcomed ECan’s backing of the flood recovery,
The flood recovery demonstrated the challenges facing councils as they consider forming new unitary councils to take on regional council functions such flood resilience, he said.
ECan will debt fund $5.09m and recover it through rates across the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years.
Further funding will be considered as part of next year’s Long Term Plan process.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
