Floodplain Management Planning

Greater Wellington's Flood Protection group works with communities to manage flood risk from the region’s rivers and streams. 

Our approach is to understand the processes affecting a river/stream and its floodplain within a wider catchment, and to provide a co-ordinated response through our floodplain management plans (in partnership with the community) to reduce the impact of flooding. 

These floodplain management plans are in place:

Ōtaki FMP

Waikanae FMP

Hutt River FMP

Te Kāuru Upper Ruamāhanga

Work to develop these floodplain management plans is underway:

Waiohine River

What is floodplain management planning?

Floodplain management planning is a process that results in a long-term strategy for managing flood risk, helping improve the security and quality of life for present and future generations living on a floodplain.  It better prepares communities for coping with a flood when it occurs, and aims to ensure that any future development considers flood risk.  A floodplain management plan (FMP) emphasises the need to ‘keep the river away from people’ rather than ‘keep people away from the river’.

The outcome of a floodplain management plan process is a document that guides how the floodplain and catchment should be managed to:

• Minimise risks to life, health and safety
• Reduce severity of flood damage
• Promote sustainable use of flood and erosion prone land
• Promote sustainable development of the wider catchment
• Use planning and community preparedness to ensure sustainable land use
• Identify options to manage the flood risk

Read a copy of our Guidelines for Floodplain Management Planning.

Contact us for more information.