Hawke Bay Regional Council: Mitigating effects of climate change

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is proposing another step up in the environmental work it accelerated in 2018, by investing an extra $10.5 million on the services it delivers to the Hawke’s Bay region and $14.7 million on infrastructure and capital projects in 2021-22.

The draft Long-Term Plan for 2021-31, included in council papers this week, outlines the increased investment on the Regional Council’s must-do work program, as well as six proposals to enhance the environment and mitigate the effects of climate change, that the Council will consult on.

The Regional Council’s ‘must do’ program of work will see a $9.7 million increase in operational investment this coming year.

According to the Council, 23 new staff are needed this year to increase the service delivery for the Hawke’s Bay’s environment.

Some of these proposals are:

• Upper Tukituki gravel – remove the gravel build-up from the upper Tukituki River to keep the community safe from floods. Invest $2.5 million to unlock a $4.5 million grant from Government;

• Clive River dredging in 2030 – deepen Clive River as far as Kohupātiki Marae, for recreation and environmental benefits, and deposit the silt to land, instead of the sea. Total rates of $2.8 million over 9 years.

Public consultation on the draft Long Term Plan will run from 1 April, to 2 May 2021.