Damage in the Maniototo resulting from October’s Otago-wide flooding event is estimated to cost the Central Otago District Council almost $1million.

Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) will only subsidise $500,000 of the response and recovery, leaving district councillors to decide whether to pay for the remaining cost out of its roading budget or district-wide emergency works fund.

A report from the infrastructure team presented to Council last week outlined the full extent of the significant event, which resulted in washouts, blocked culverts and temporary road closures.

The region's aging network of bridges saw several structures damaged and repair work was being planned and underway.

Rainfall data from both Dansey Pass Hotel and Waipiata showed both areas had 131mm in 48 hours - just short of a one in 30 year rainfall event (132mm).

Maximum rainfall fell over Otago during the October 4 event. PHOTO: ORC

Other weather events in recent years also caused damage resulting in $103,986 being funded from the Emergency Event Reserve for Bridge 93 on St Bathans Loop Road (2023), and a further $89,795 spent from the same reserve fund for repairs across the

roading network following the September 2023 rain and wind event.

The district council has applied to NZTA for the 51 per cent funding under the Emergency Works category, and decided last week to fund the remaining $480,494 under its roading emergency works reserve account.

The question to councillors was whether the October rain event was a roading emergency or a council-wide emergency.

The decision councillors made impacted on ratepayers and on which ‘bucket’ of funding the emergency works came out of, but after some double checking of figures, it was decided the roading works reserve was the one to be used.

The infrastructure team explained that while the council-wide emergency works reserve account had $2.6million, and the roading emergency works reserve account was in deficit by $525,000, they did have the option to rebuild it again in coming years.

The 2024/25 Annual Plan has also budgeted to reduce the deficit by $162k. Additionally, planning for the 2025 Long Term Plan (LTP) would consider what rate the roading emergency works reserve account deficit would be reduced. 

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