Floods 2000 onwards

2004

15th-18th July

The Weather SituationOn July 15th 2004 and a stationary anticyclone was lying to the east of New Zealand, this caused a front that was moving east over the Bay of Plenty to stall. The front then proceeded to bring widespread rain for a period of four days (15-18th July 2004) to Bay of Plenty.

At first the prediction was heavy rainfall for Coromandel Peninsula and Western Bay of Plenty, however the rainfall in these places did not prove significant and it was the Eastern Bay of Plenty that felt the full force of the weather system.

On the evening of the 15th the front was joined by a subtropical low moving slowly southwards. During the 16th and 17th the low pressure system moved slowly south, towards the Bay of Plenty, intensifying as it moved and bringing consistent heavy rain to the Bay.

Over these 4 days recorded as much as 450mm in the Waiotahi Catchment and 300mm at lake Aniwhenua, with other places reported to have received totals exceeding 400mm, Ohiwa, Ruatoki and the Galatea plains.

Of note during this event was that rainfall totals recorded in lowland areas were similar to those measured in the ranges. Usually the rain falls in much greater quantities in the ranges.

Eventually another weather system developed in Fiji that had the effect of forcing the bad weather off the Bay of Plenty and out to sea. But not before much damage had been done

Flood Overview

Between the 15th and 18th July 2004 a front brought widespread rain to the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The resulting high river levels, heavy local rainfall, and the failure of a section of stopbanks on the Rangitaiki River brought widespread flooding in both rural and urban areas. To add to this, peak river levels on the 18th of July were accompanied by a swarm of earthquakes.

Landslips caused extensive damage to roads and dwellings. Civil Defence Emergencies were declared in the Whakatane and Opotiki districts, in Whakatane this remained in place for 14 days. The losses of two people's lives were attributed to this storm event.

The people of the Eastern Bay of Plenty, their possessions, their homes and the use and productivity of their land were severely impacted. A total of 1,122 homes (3,162 people) had to be evacuated due to flooding and slips.

The Cost

The combined cost of the 2004 flood response and recovery for Environment Bay of Plenty, Whakatane District Council and Opotiki District Council was $22,544,940. This figure is the price to repair the infrastructure that these councils maintain, roads, storm water pumps, and assist the public with emergency response measures, it does not include the cost of damage to people's homes and possessions.

2005

17-19 May

A severe convection developed between a North East flow off the coast and a South East flow across the land……..   This allowed torrential downpours where thunderstorms developed and continues to reform along parts of the coastline. The rainfall recorded in Tauranga for the 12-48hr time periods were the highest recorded in 60 years of record. The rainfall totals recorded at Tauranga and Awakaponga for the 24hr period were both well in excess of the 100yr rainfall for this time. Rainfall details are outlined in the table shown.

In Tauranga 39 dwellings were left uninhabitable, with many more needing major repairs. Insurance claims to a total of $43 million dollars were claimed as a result of the damage caused during this event in Tauranga.……                  

2009 - Opotiki

2010

2011