Wanganui's flood-prone eastern suburbs could see bigger stopbanks erected along the banks of the Whanganui River.
Mayor Annette Main told the Chronicle yesterday that in the wake of the record-setting floods on June 2021, Horizons Regional Council was revising its approach to flood protection in the city.
"The new banks [along Anzac Parade] were built to an 85-year flood level but they're doing the work at the moment to raise that beyond 100-year levels," Ms Main said.
"If you live next to a river, and unless you're in a Third World country, you have protection for a 200-year level."
Her comments come after Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye announced an extra $2.6 million relief package for the worst-affected parts of Wanganui, South Taranaki, Rangitikei and Manawatu.
The regional council originally estimated the economic impact of the floods at $120 million but this week the Government revised that up to $275 million.
Ms Kaye told regional mayors the June event was not as bad as the 2004 floods - which cost more than $350 million - but she was worried it had hit rural areas particularly hard.
She said the new package, which was in addition to the $4.5 million already announced, targeted those rural communities.
The package includes $1.28 million for rural infrastructure repairs, and $457,000 for a rural recovery co-ordinator and extra psycho-social support for farming communities. Another $500,000 will go to Enhanced Taskforce Green to assist the clean-up and $400,000 to prepare for future emergencies.
Ms Main said she was satisfied with the new package but she wanted to see the Government increase its contribution to repairing roads. "We're looking at $4 million cost in total in terms of our share of the damage to our roads, but it's not just that that will be a cost to the ratepayers."
She said it was estimated repairs to the Whanganui River Rd would take three years and that was not just a cost to ratepayers but also in lost production.
Mayors and emergency services from Wanganui, Rangitikei, Manawatu and South Taranaki were to meet in Wanganui on September 11 to discuss the criteria for allocating the government funding.
"But this latest round of funding is really welcome. The minister has been great and has been in touch all the time to get an understanding of what we need or what more we might be needing," she said.
The next issue involved negotiations over what share the New Zealand Transport Agency would pay for roading repairs and in that regard Ms Main said Wanganui had a strong case for hardship to put forward.
She said she would be arguing that Wanganui ratepayers faced the prospect of a multi-million dollar rebuild of the city's wastewater treatment plant, as well as more effective flood protection for the lower reaches of the Whanganui River.
She said the NZTA board was holding a special meeting in about three weeks' time to consider the council's applications for funding over and above what it would normally be getting.