Thursday 5 March 2026

Banks Peninsula recovery update

Kia ora, and welcome to our first Banks Peninsula Flood Recovery newsletter. 

This newsletter will keep you up to date with the latest information and the work underway to support recovery across the Peninsula.

Recovery update

We want to thank Banks Peninsula residents for the resilience and patience you continue to show as recovery work progresses. While there's still much to do, we're making good progress, with roads reopening and slips steadily being cleared.

Our teams on the ground are focused on immediate recovery work, including clearing debris, removing slip material, and restoring access where it's safe to do so. At the same time, Council teams and technical specialists are investigating areas of concern to better understand land conditions and assess what remediation may be needed to help protect road access and public safety. This work is essential to managing risk, keeping people safe, and supporting long-term recovery.

We know that isolation, uncertainty, and ongoing disruption can take a toll on wellbeing, particularly in rural communities. Support is available, and we're working to ensure people know how to access help and stay informed as recovery continues.

We’re committed to keeping you updated as work progresses and will share new information as it becomes available. You can visit our Banks Peninsula Recovery page for the latest updates, and there's a subscribe button if you’d like these sent straight to your inbox.  

Little River Library and Service Centre

Our Little River Library and Service Centre building is closed after taking a hammering during the weather event. We appreciate your patience while we work to get it open again – this will involve removing and replacing flood-damaged material inside. Reopening depends not just on how soon we can complete this work, but on how quickly the timber in the building will dry out.

In the meantime, our Mobile library service will be visiting Little River near the café every Monday and Friday, from 10.30am to 1pm, starting Friday 6 March. The NZ Post postbox service is still operating from the front of the building.

We'll keep looking at temporary options to keep providing service to the community, and we'll keep you updated.

Roads

There may be some ongoing movement of land, and you may see cracks in the road surface or surrounding land open – this is to be expected as the land continues to settle. Our contractors will be out and about making repairs. Please be very careful when getting around, and if you see a large or new crack, please call 111.

As at Thursday 5 March, the following roads have restricted access for emergency vehicles and residents only:

• Kaituna Valley Road, from Parkinsons Road to the end
• Reynolds Valley Road, from Okuti Valley Road to Bossu Road
• Western Valley (Port Levy), from about 2.8km up to the saddle
• Bossu Road, from Wainui Main Road to Lands End
• Donovans Road
• Jubilee Road, from Wainui Main Road to approximately 900 metres onwards. Access from the other side of Jubilee is available via Bossu Road. A section of Jubilee Road remains closed due to a bridge washout.
• Wainui Main Road between Cemetery Road and Bossu Road
• Wainui Valley Road 

Roads closed:

• Jubilee Road – around 900m up from Wainui Main Road. This is due to a bridge washout.
• Western Valley Road – from #1280 to the saddle. This is due to a dropout and slips.

Roads open, but caution is advised:

• Bachelors Road 
• Lighthouse Road
• Goughs Bay Road, at the bottom end
• Hickory Bay Road, from about 700m down
• Long Bay Road
• Parkinsons Road
• Peraki Road, from Bossu Road to the bottom
• Prices Valley
• Montgomery Park, near Summit Road
• Western Valley (Little River), from Montgomery Road to the saddle
• Waitaturi Lane – some flooding remains
• Kinloch Road is open with no restrictions but there are traffic controls in four locations with 30km speed limits

Lighthouse Road

Remediation work planned for Lighthouse Road following the May 2025 weather event is scheduled to start later this month.

The road remains down to a single lane past the site of the new slip that occurred further down Lighthouse Road after the recent rain event. Geotechnical engineers have reviewed the new slip site and a remediation plan is being determined.

Welfare support

Support is available if you or your whānau have been affected by the flooding, slips, or disruption caused by the February weather event. This may include help with immediate needs, advice on insurance and flood-damaged goods, or support for people who are isolated or under pressure. See what's on offer here.

The Temporary Accommodation Service provides short-term support for people who have been displaced from their damaged homes. They're still taking registrations for Banks Peninsula as needed, so if you need temporary accommodation while you are working towards returning home, or are waiting to confirm your home’s condition, be sure to reach out.