‘We’re going to get flooded’: Anger as 2000-home development above flood-prone valley enters fast track

Sunday, 19 July 2026

Waimauku residents fear a proposed development by Halberd Holdings could worsen flooding in the valley below the hillside site.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop approved the Waimauku West development for fast-track processing despite Auckland Council's opposition over flooding concerns.

The 196-hectare development would include up to 2020 dwellings, a light industrial area and two indicative school sites.

Stuff wants to tell the inspiring and powerful human stories that touch real people. To share the stories you think deserve to be told, fill in the form at the bottom of this story.

Residents in flood-prone Waimauku fear a proposed development of up to 2020 homes on the hills above them could worsen flooding across the valley.

The project has been accepted into the Government’s fast-track process, despite Auckland Council opposing the referral application over flooding concerns and pressure on roading, water and wastewater infrastructure.

The proposed Waimauku West development would cover about 196 hectares of rural land at 1080 State Highway 16, about 35km north-west of Auckland’s CBD.

The project is being developed by Halberd Holdings, whose sole director is Ian Humphrey, and would include 1500–2020 dwellings at a range of densities, a neighbourhood centre, a light industrial area and two indicative school sites.

The plans, which come amid Auckland’s ongoing growth, include private stormwater systems, a green network incorporating stormwater management, a private water supply and wastewater disposal. Halberd Holdings said independent technical assessments were under way and would form part of its substantive application to an expert panel.

But residents question whether the proposed infrastructure would be enough to support a development of this scale, and fear it could worsen flooding downstream.

Among those concerned is Linda Gatland, who lives at the bottom of a hill, below where parts of the development would sit.

“Flooding of our home is my number one concern,” Gatland said.

When Stuff visited, Gatland pointed to the creek beside her home and showed how floodwaters had risen during previous storms, describing fast-moving water spilling through neighbouring properties and reaching boundary fences.

Gatland said her home was on the flood plain and she feared stormwater from the development would flow down into the nearby creek and worsen flooding.

“We’re right there beside the creek that it’s coming down into and it’s a massive amount of water,” Gatland said. “We’re going to get flooded for sure… It’s on a big hill so they’ll be fine up there. It’s all of us at the bottom that are going to cop it.

“My partner and I have just retired. After raising a family, paying off the mortgage and saving for retirement, we are now fearful for our future… everyone’s devastated.”

Gatland said Waimauku also had no reticulated water or wastewater services, with residents relying on tanks and septic systems. She questioned how infrastructure for 2000 new homes would be provided in an area already struggling with limited services and congested roads.

“We don’t have any water. We don’t have any sewerage. Also, it’s right on top of a flood zone.

“We just can’t understand how a project with so little going for it could possibly be put on fast track… Who’s going to pay when we get flooded? I’m sure the taxpayer doesn’t want to.”

Tatjana Ratsdorf, founder and co-chair of the Waimauku Community Association, said opposition to the development was not a case of “nimbyism”, but about residents wanting to see the necessary infrastructure in place first, and evidence the project would not worsen flooding across the existing floodplain.

Ratsdorf said flooding was one of the community’s biggest concerns, alongside worsening road congestion and inadequate public transport.

“We need to ensure that any sort of development doesn’t come at the cost of existing families’ homes and lives,” she said.

Ratsdorf said the township typically flooded three or four times a year, depending on weather conditions. She estimated the community experienced 10 to 12 severe floods in 2023, including four between late January and late February during the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.

“A lot of the footage [from 2023]… would have been from down here in Waimauku where whole roads were flooded and people had to be rescued,” Ratsdorf said. “If we add any additional houses right next to a floodplain then it puts the area at high risk of additional flooding.”

From Ratsdorf’s property, parts of the proposed development site were visible in the distance. Her home sits above the flood plain, but her lower paddock lies within it and has flooded during severe weather, she said.

She said floods required her family to manage livestock around rising water, while damaged fences and clean-up created significant costs for property owners.

One of those is Andrew James who said floodwaters reached his property about three times a year.

James, who lives across the Kaipara River downstream from the proposed development site, said the highest recent flood stopped about half a metre from his house.

That had made him fearful that any additional stormwater could push flood levels higher, inundate his home and put his livestock at greater risk.

During one flood in 2021, two of James’ cattle became trapped in rising water and were swept downstream before being recovered. He said repeated floods had also damaged fences, covered the property in debris and left him facing more than a week of clean-up.

“For me, the worry is: One, it’s going to hit our house and flood our house; and secondly, it’s just going to be so much more damage, and it’s going to happen more often and worse than what it has been.”

Council opposes application

Auckland Council opposed the development’s fast-track referral application, saying there were significant flooding hazards within the site and surrounding area, and that the potential for the development to worsen them had not been adequately addressed.

It also raised major servicing concerns, saying Watercare, which manages drinking water and wastewater across the Auckland region, had identified no capacity in the wastewater or water networks to service the development, while Auckland Transport expected significant effects on the road network.

Minister accepts anyway

Despite those concerns, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop approved the project’s entry into the fast-track approvals process, saying he was satisfied it would have “significant regional or national benefits”.

In a statement to Stuff, Bishop said Auckland Council and others had identified matters requiring further technical assessment.

He said that as part of his referral decision, he directed that the substantive application explain how the roading and three waters infrastructure needed to service the project would be delivered and funded.

At that stage, the applicant would also have to assess the project’s potential effects on the surrounding environment before an expert panel decided whether to approve or decline.

Developer responds

Halberd Holdings said the project had only been accepted into the fast-track pathway and the development itself had not yet been approved. Its substantive application was being prepared for submission in September, with technical work underway on flooding, stormwater, transport, wastewater and other environmental effects.

In a statement, the developer said specialist flood modelling would assess extreme rainfall and climate change scenarios and be independently peer-reviewed. It said the proposed stormwater system was being designed to manage water on site, “while protecting downstream receiving environments”.

“The objective is to demonstrate through technical evidence that the development will not create any unacceptable adverse flooding risk both on- and off-site.”

Halberd Holdings said the development would not rely on capacity in Watercare’s existing networks. It proposed sourcing and treating water on site and establishing a dedicated wastewater treatment system with monitoring, redundancy and contingency measures.

It said detailed transport modelling would consider cumulative growth on SH16 and necessary upgrades would be incorporated. The technical assessments would be made public as part of the substantive application and independently considered by the expert panel.

The developer said engagement with residents was already underway, with further discussions planned on the technical aspects of the project.

Have you got a powerful story to share? Tell us in the Google form below.