Rodney drainage districts maintenance

About the project

We have inherited three drainage districts from the former Rodney District Council:

• Te Ārai
• Glorit
• Ōkahukura.

These drainage districts are the only remaining areas of rural Auckland where we provide ongoing stormwater management services to private landowners.

Historically, maintenance of the drainage assets was funded from a targeted rate paid by local landowners. This was replaced with a general rate in the 1990s by the former Rodney District Council.

Maintenance work and funding

We have continued to use $26,000 of general rates to maintain the assets in the three drainage districts.

Maintenance work includes:

• weed spraying
• mechanical clearing
• larger general repairs to drains, culverts and floodgates carried out by our contractors.

As this level of funding has not been sufficient to maintain the assets to a satisfactory standard, we are working with the local community to bring the assets back to a working standard.

Scope of remediation works

A 2018 independent asset review by ACH Consulting identified the remediation work needed.

In 2019 we committed $260,000 of general rates funding to carry out the report's recommendations.

Where possible, council contractors completed this work. Local landowners were also able to apply for funding to undertake works on their own properties.

For more information on what has been done and what work remains, view the breakdown for the relevant drainage district.

​Apply for a grant for maintenance works

Council contractors will continue to play a role in major works and maintenance, but we are also offering opportunities for greater community involvement in the project.

Community members can request grants to complete many of the ongoing maintenance items detailed in the ACH report.

To apply, email rodneydrainagedistricts@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz with an expression of interest.

We will provide details of the work areas required and the funding application process.

Any items not appropriate for community action, or for which no community members seek funding, will go to our contractors.

Ongoing management and funding

Following consultation with the local community and Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council’s Governing Body resolved in May 2021 to include greater community involvement with maintenance works, including:

• using a joint system of community grants and council contractors for maintenance and operations in Ōkahukura and Te Ārai (funded primarily through targeted rates)
• entering into a community-led management agreement with Glorit landowners.

There will be further discussions with the local community on the future service levels needed for the Ōkahukura and Te Ārai drainage districts.

These discussions will consider the impacts of changing land use, climate change and sea-level rise, while ensuring any solutions are financially viable and meet our obligations to mana whenua.

Understanding your targeted rate

Targeted rates are calculated based on a land classification model. The land in the drainage districts is categorised into three different land classes.

A property in the area may contain one or more of these land classes:

• class A – land within the drainage catchment and in a flood plain
• class B – land within the drainage catchment but not in a flood plain
• class C – land outside the drainage catchment.

Class A

Class A benefits most from drain maintenance as it reduces the flooding risk.

Runoff from land on flood plains also flows to the drains and contributes to the maintenance work needed.

This class is identified using flood plain maps.

Class B

This category does not directly benefit from drainage work, but surface water flows to the drains through overland flow paths, contributing to maintenance requirements.

Class C

This category includes the land that does not drain to the stormwater network.

However, class C land indirectly benefits from the public drainage assets because during high rainfall, access to roads and local services is protected.

Unclassed land within the drainage district does not benefit from public drainage network and does not have to pay the targeted rate. This only applies to small sandbars and islets within the Ōkahukura drainage district.

Find your targeted rate

Find more details on your rates using our property search.

More information

Email rodneydrainagedistricts@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz if you would like further information about the Rodney drainage districts.

Drainage district resources