Have your say: Should coastal homes be left to the rising sea?

Sunday, 22 March 2026

Millions are being spent to protect Hawke’s Bay communities from future floods — but not everyone feels included.

New Zealand is famed for its beaches and coastlines, but should we rethink where we build and what gets protected?

Homeowners from Auckland to Westport are reckoning with flood plain maps, while Hawke’s Bay is spending millions to protect communities from future floods. The goal is to stop rivers from overflowing into homes like they did during Cyclone Gabrielle.

But in beachside settlements, there is a different — and growing — threat: the sea.

Former Hastings district councillor Ann Redstone, who has lived in Haumoana for more than 40 years, says coastal communities deserve the same level of protection and respect as inland towns. These areas have long been affected by erosion and increasingly powerful storm surges.

As climate change reshapes landscapes and communities across New Zealand, should we spend more to defend vulnerable homes on the coast or inland? Or is retreat from high-risk areas inevitable?

Share your experience in the comments or vote in our poll. If you’re using the Stuff app on iOS you’ll need to view Stuff.co.nz on a browser to view and post comments.