Catchments saturated in Waimakariri
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Waimakariri is awash after the recent rain, as the risk of major flooding increases.
After three heavy rain events last month, Waimakariri District Council three waters manager Kalley Simpson says groundwater levels are similar to the levels after the June 2014 flood event.
‘‘The catchments in the district are saturated and groundwater levels are high, therefore there is an elevated risk of flooding due to rainfall events over the coming months.
‘‘We will continue to closely monitor and respond to any future wet weather events, taking into account this elevated risk.’’
Simpson said the July 26 rain event was the largest, and it followed heavy rain events on July 12 and 20.
Woodend (119.6mm) and Kaiapoi (109.6mm) received the most rainfall, followed by Rangiora (78.6mm), Mandeville (72.2mm), Summerhill (near Oxford, 61.8mm) and Oxford (47.2mm).
Undercurrents were also flowing at a particularly high level in the Mandeville area, he said.
‘‘This event (July 26) was more of a coastal event and was in the order of a 20 to 30 year event over 24 hours for Kaiapoi and Woodend, which experience the higher levels of rainfall."
The council did major infrastructure work following a series of heavy rain events in 2014, while stormwater work had begun in Kaiapoi as part of the Government’s Covid-19 ‘‘Shovel Ready’’ funding.
Simpson said the upgrades had generally performed well, while the stormwater improvement areas in Kaiapoi, including Feldwick Drive and Otaki St, had experienced flooding as predicted.
‘‘There was surface flooding across the wider district, most of which was in known areas of flooding where we have investigations or upgrades under way.
Some areas flooded unexpectedly, such as in McDougal Place in Kaiapoi.
‘‘We had staff and contractors out responding to and observing the event and have identified the source of flooding which we will address.’’
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.
Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
-
28.6% Yes
-
42.9% No
-
28.6% In some areas ...
Loading…
