'Pipes and pumps' option halts South Dunedin flood plans

Dunedin City Councillors have reluctantly voted to hit pause on adaptation plans for South Dunedin for four months following a last-minute alternative solution from the regional council.

Four schemes will eventually be put to people in the flood-prone area for feedback after weeks of heated debate about home buyouts and the transparency of the process.

Work began in 2021 to find ways to protect South Dunedin, where more than half of the 6,000 households and 1,000 businesses are considered at risk of flooding.

South Dunedin is Aotearoa's biggest population living below sea level and was swamped in 2015 and again in 2024 in heavy rain.

On Thursday, Mayor Sophie Barker said she reluctantly supported a further delay and more research into a proposed engineered flood protection system.

"It's not the timeline I wanted. South Dunedin residents are asking for action. They deserve urgency. They deserve clarity. They deserve to know what is possible, what it costs, what it means for them and what choices lie ahead but urgency and robustness must go together.

"If we get this wrong, the consequences are serious," she said.

The city council was earlier set to vote on putting options to public consultation to "protect", "restore" or "reshape" the suburb, or leave it untouched.

The draft plans, ranging from $1.6 to $2.45 billion, angered some residents who said they were blindsided by the discovery their homes fell into possible property acquisition zones.

Lynne Newell from the South Dunedin Stormwater Justice Group told the council that people felt like disposable products.

"If you read Dunedin social media posts on Facebook and the letters to the editor you'll be well aware that like me, many of the permanent residents of Dunedin who understand the flooding issues in South Dunedin have also turned against you. Not only for the uncaring and thoughtless way properties were identified for demolition before consultation happened, but that all the future options had property demolition with no other option listed," she said.

Councillors respond

Another option, a "pipes and pumps" engineered flood protection system, was tabled by the Otago Regional Council on Wednesday.

The scheme, which would involve fewer property acquisitions, was put forward by regional councillor Andrew Noone and voted for by all but two regional councillors before being presented to the city council as a last-minute addition to Thursday's agenda.

City council staff said it would take at least four months to research the technical details and costs of the plan.

City councillor Andrew Simms said it would be wrong to pretend the option did not exist.

He said South Dunedin should not be pioneers for an eye-wateringly expensive global climate resilience experiment when cheaper engineering alternatives could buy the city 60 or 70 years of time.

"Turning 1190 families out of their houses in Dunedin and Tainui should be the absolute last resort, not the preferred option," he said.

Councillor Brent Weatherall said he was not sure whether to curse or thank the regional council but agreed the plan deserved consideration.

"I want to ensure the public there is not one councillor around this table that does not want to deliver the best outcome with the most minimal impact for South Dunedin," he said.

Councillor Doug Hall said he also reluctantly agreed that the engineered flood protection system deserved a look.

"Doing nothing is not an option but neither is rushing people into fear. Consultation is not the problem here. The problem would be shutting the door before the community has even had a chance to walk through it," he said.

Only councillors Marie Laufiso and Benedict Ong voted against the motion.

Laufiso described the option as a curveball that disregarded years of values-based work and partnership with mana whenua.

Ong said the public disclosure of potential property acquisitions could immediately devalue homes and create financial hardship.

Council staff will report back with technical details for all options later this year.

Councillors will have a final vote in about November or December before the options proceed to public consultation.