We have already experienced how our climate is changing, from our recent experiences of floods and droughts. So, we need to make some decisions about our future here. We know that together we can solve difficult problems, and we have a history of being resourceful, thoughtful, and clever. Together we can plan a future where everyone feels confident and safe. Our communities hold a lot of knowledge of how our land works and know what we value here. This includes Iwi, whose knowledge of how people have lived here for generations will be an important part of developing a sustainable plan.

Hauraki District Council and Waikato Regional Council are now working with communities to make a plan for the future. The way we propose to achieve this is through a dynamic (flexible) adaptive planning process, in partnership with the community, which includes working closely with the Community Panel.

We’re working through a range of options together. There isn’t a single type of solution. We’re working through different options for responding to climate change impacts and how they could work across different parts of the district and over time. We’re planning carefully so our community can respond with confidence - looking ahead together helps avoid last minute choices during emergencies and gives us time to understand, respond and stay resilient as a community.

Upcoming Events

We've been hard at work since we talked last, preparing and analysing options to respond to natural hazard risk. Now is your chance to have your say on these options and influence the future of your area. Come along to our events below to chat to the team and find out more. If you can't make our events, please complete the online survey below, where you can check out what we're proposing and provide online feedback.

Come and chat to the team and get involved in our upcoming events. You'll find us at:

Ngātea Market - Sunday 11 October, Ngātea Memorial Hall, 9am-1:30pm.

Tūrua Market - Sunday 18 October, Tūrua Hall, 9am-12:30pm.

Hauraki Plains Library and Community Centre - Monday 19 October, 12-2pm (food will be provided!).

If you can't make the events, please put your questions and comments in the Questions box below and staff will get back to you. Check out our project website to find out more!

Online Survey

To plan well, we needed to find out more about the risks we face as our climate continues to change. Waikato Regional Council (WRC) have been developing a flood model for the Hauraki Plains area, looking at how water moves and builds up across the land during heavy rain or flooding.

We have used the model to explore possible future climate scenarios, including higher sea levels and warmer temperatures. We have provided the following maps for you to look at:

• 1% AEP (Annual Exceedance Probability) rainfall event, current climate
• 1% AEP rainfall event, future climate scenario (+4 degrees temperature increase and +1m SLR (Sea Level Rise))
• 10% AEP rainfall event, current climate
• 10% AEP rainfall event, future climate scenario (+4 degrees temperature increase and +1m SLR)
• 0.4% AEP rainfall event, current climate
• 0.4% AEP rainfall event, future climate scenario (+4 degrees temperature increase and +1m SLR)
• 1% AEP coastal flooding event, no rainfall, +1m SLR

Follow the links above to look at the ‘work in progress’ flood model maps - they are also located in the folder titled 'October 2026 Flood Model Maps - for survey' on this page.

The results from the model were then used to assess what is at risk in our project area, and look at how this impacts things that we value about life on the Hauraki Plains. The risk assessment, informed by the model results, shows us when, where and what will be at high risk, which helps us decide what adaptation options may be required to reduce this risk to an acceptable level.

You can view the risk assessment results by following this link to our online viewer.

All of the above information has fed into our option development. Our adaptation pathways are then formed by taking these options and applying them to each management area. The map below shows all of our project management areas - please complete the surveys below based on which management area you are interested in (you can complete surveys for as many management areas as you want).

Partially funded by central government's Better Off Package funding to invest in the wellbeing of our communities.