Floodplain management
Floodplains are natural low-lying areas adjacent to rivers, streams, and the sea, designed by nature to manage excess water during heavy rainfall or storms. While they play a critical role in our environment, floodplains also pose significant risks to people, property, and infrastructure.
Effective floodplain management requires collaboration across district councils, regional councils, and central government, each with distinct responsibilities to minimise flood risks, protect communities, and adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Responsibilities
District councils
District councils focus on managing flood risks at the local level, coordinating day-to-day operations and ensuring community safety during flood events, they:
- invest in and manage urban stormwater systems to address localised surface flooding and control land use through District Plans, applying zoning and building regulations in flood-prone areas under the Resource Management Act.
- provide flood risk information to property owners via Land Information Memoranda (LIMs) and GIS maps on their websites.
- play a key role in local civil defence, working within Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups to respond to flood events alongside regional councils.
Regional councils
Regional councils manage larger catchment areas and are responsible for overseeing flood protection infrastructure and responding to regional flood events, they:
- are responsible for managing flood risks across larger catchment areas where streams and rivers drain out to the sea.
- oversee flood control infrastructure like stopbanks and dams and maintaining open waterways such as rivers and major streams to prevent flooding.
- set regional policies and plans for flood and natural hazard management under Regional Policy Statements and the Natural Resources Plan.
- monitor rainfall and river flows, conduct research to inform floodplain management, and coordinate emergency flood responses via Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups in partnership with district councils.
Central government
Central government provides the overarching policy and legal framework, funding, and national coordination for floodplain management, they:
- establish the legal and policy framework for floodplain management, including National Policy Statements and the Resource Management Act.
- coordinate national disaster responses through Civil Defence and the National Emergency Management Agency.
- lead adaptation strategies to address long-term changes affecting flood risks.
- provide some funding towards flood protection and disaster recovery and support research into flood risks and management strategies.