The Dunedin City Council decided yesterday to include a ‘‘pipes and pumps’’ adaptation option alongside three others and the status quo when potential approaches are pitched to the public for feedback.
The move followed the Otago Regional Council deciding a day earlier there should be an additional costed option of an engineered South Dunedin flood protection system.
This was taken into account by the city council and a few councillors said they endorsed the change to the consultation plan reluctantly, but they were looking to press on as best they could after the regional council’s vote.
Others described the regional council’s move as a rescue they were grateful for.
The South Dunedin Future programme, aimed at producing a master plan for adaptation and reducing flood risk, is run jointly by the two councils.
The three options initially shortlisted had common elements that attracted controversy, such as signalling hundreds of homes could be acquired to enable long-term adaptation to climate challenges.
Advocates for the additional option suggested such an intervention might not be needed.
The pipes and pumps option is expected to be based on an approach that did not make the programme’s shortlist.
Drafting it was likely to take at least four months and it would incorporate the regional council’s resolution, city councillors were told.
‘‘Ready, set, stop’’ was how Cr Brent Weatherall summed up the situation.
The council voted 13-2 to present the four options for public consultation, as well as the status quo.
Crs Marie Laufiso and Benedict Ong were against.
Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker said the council was committed to finding a path forward for South Dunedin, but there was no single, simple answer.
‘‘It’s not just about pipes and pumps.
‘‘It’s not just a stormwater issue.
‘‘It is rising groundwater.
‘‘It is increasing storm severity.
‘‘It is land that was developed in a way we would probably not choose today.
‘‘It is increasing impermeable surfaces, ageing infrastructure, sea-level rise, climate change, insurance risk — it is all of these things interacting with each other.’’
The way forward would require a suite of interventions, which could include property acquisition, land-raising and wetlands to act as sponges, she said.
‘‘This is about finding a pragmatic future,’’ Ms Barker said.
Cr Andrew Simms had pressed for what he described as a baseline engineering solution among the options.
‘‘Turning 1190 families out of their homes in South Dunedin and Tainui should be the absolute last resort, not the preferred option.’’
He believed engineering-focused options would be far less costly than the three adaptation approaches that had been put forward on the shortlist.
Their estimated price tags ranged from $1.63 billion to $2.45b over 100 years.
‘‘Dunedin ratepayers, and in particular the community of South Dunedin and Tainui, cannot afford to be pioneers for an eye-wateringly expensive global climate resilience experiment.’’
Cr Jo Galer said including the pipes and pumps option in public consultation was ‘‘a victory for the people’’.
Cr Lee Vandervis said he did not often praise the regional council, but he had cause to do so on this occasion.
Cr Mickey Treadwell pointed out pipes and pumps work had already been integrated into the other three adaptation options.
‘‘This motion will delay work significantly and it’s unclear if it will achieve an outcome that wouldn’t be achieved through the existing council and consultation procedures.’’
Cr Steve Walker said there had been a ridiculous attack on mana whenua at the regional council meeting.
Cr Laufiso suggested some regional councillors had not read their papers.
Cr Ong was worried about potential negative impacts on homeowners.
