Hikurangi repo gravity gate opening ceremony
Published on 15 June 2024
From left: Haane Rudolph, Kaumātua Hona Edwards, Delaraine Armstrong, Sonny Henare, Hori Kingi, Mayor Cocurullo, WDC Project Manager Andrew Carvell, ecologist David Wright, Vivienne and Dennis Fife, Trevor Barfoote, Steven Brown (landowner and farmer), Evan Smeath (local farmer).
On Friday 31 May 2024, a small group of key stakeholders joined Mayor Vince Cocurullo, Kaumātua Hona Edwards and Project Manager Andrew Carvell at the official opening ceremony of the gravity gate at Hikurangi repo.
Located at Junction Pocket (adjacent to farmer Steven Brown’s land), the floodgate will help move water off flooded paddocks and back into the Wairua River quickly, saving thousands of dollars’ worth of pasture.
The gravity gate is a concrete box culvert running through the stopbank, with a steel flap at the river end.
When floodwater is trapped on the farm-side of the stopbank, the gravity gate will release the water back into the river as the river level drops, releasing the floodwater in a controlled manner, while protecting precious tuna (freshwater eels) in the process.
This project was the result of many years of collaborative work with hapū group Ngā Kaitiaki Ngā Wai Māori, local farmers, Northland Regional Council and Whangarei District Council. The analysis for the gravity gate was enabled by Better Off Funding, and the physical works for the gravity gate were paid out of the Hikurangi flood scheme targeted rates.
“This floodgate system is a milestone for our relationships across the community, with our councils and our farmers. This is a huge milestone for the Hikurangi repo, for Whangārei, for Northland and for the whole country. I believe it will be a milestone that will reach far across the world,” says Kaumātua Hona Edwards.
“Thank you everyone, from Ngā Kaitiaki Ngā Wai Māori to our farmers, to our reporters who share our story with the community at large, to our councils and construction team, our ecologists – everyone who is playing a part for a common goal, which is for a healthier environment for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and generations to come.”