Council maintains a network of stopbanks, hydraulic structures and pump stations, as well as managing the river, stream and drainage channels to ensure they work as expected during floods. The overall aim is to reduce the risk of flood and erosion damage while maintaining a high quality river environment. The stopbanks on the major rivers are designed to...

Much of the settled Hawke’s Bay region is low lying and built on river flood plains. This brings the risk of flooding, which is our most common natural hazard - a severe storm or flood happens every 10 years on average. Major storms affect wide areas and can be accompanied by strong winds, heavy rain or snowfall, thunder, lightning, and rough seas. They...