Wairarapa Hospital Flooding Risk Exposed

Tuesday, 6 May 2025, 7:40 pm
Article: Emily Ireland - Local Democracy Reporter

In a severe weather event, Wairarapa Hospital is “likely to be flooded” and thousands of buildings left exposed to risk, a recent report says.

Last week’s wild weather triggered the first red severe weather warning issued in the Wellington region.

Although Wairarapa was relatively unscathed and dodged the red warning issued to parts of Wellington, it’s just the kind of emergency event Wairarapa councils have been preparing for.

Masterton District Council’s Audit and Risk Committee were set to meet Wednesday for a quarterly update on emergency management.

A report to the committee showed that a major severe weather event, though rare, would have devastating impacts on the region.

In such an event where a red severe weather warning would be issued, 9000 Masterton buildings would be exposed to flood risk, communities could become isolated, and Wairarapa Hospital was “likely to be flooded”.

More than 5000 buildings would be exposed in South Wairarapa, communities could become isolated, and farmlands and vineyards would be inundated with floodwaters.

In Carterton, “a high number of residential buildings” were exposed, communities could become isolated, and floodwaters could put the Carterton water treatment plant at risk.

The report said the most dangerous emergency event would be a large Hikurangi Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami.

The likelihood of this was “extremely rare” and the impact would be “catastrophic”.

The shaking from such an earthquake was estimated to injure 7400 people in the Wellington region and kill 490.

Such an event could cause months of electricity and potable water outages for Wairarapa.

Wairarapa Engineering Lifelines Association chair Adrienne Staples, who is also a regional councillor, said natural hazard events would leave Wairarapa’s infrastructure network “highly exposed”.

“There are a limited number of roads which connect the region to the rest of the North Island,” she said.

“A major earthquake could cause road isolation and the loss of essential supply chains that serve Wairarapa. Also at risk are Wairarapa’s network of stop banks.

“A major earthquake or rain event could cause water to overtop the banks, leading to major flooding events.”

She said the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office were working with communities and farmers in the flood risk zones to maximise flood awareness and preparedness.

“It is essential that floodplain management plans are current and appropriate, and a strategy for the re-establishment of the stop banks is critical.”

“Our region needs clear, significant funded strategies to upgrade infrastructure, not just contingency plans for when the worst happens.

“The question we must ask ourselves is this - do we wait for disaster to force our hand, or do we act now to secure our future?”

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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