Thursday 12 March 2026

Banks Peninsula recovery update

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

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.  

Rubbish skips

We've had rubbish skips available in Little River for the disposal of household and garden waste arising from the flood clean-up. Because they've been so popular, we're keeping them in place until Monday 23 March and emptying them as quickly as we can.

Flood‑damaged material from private property is the responsibility of the property owners to dispose of. Please do not place damaged items or debris on the ground around the skips, or on the roadside for Council collection, as it can create safety hazards and slow down roading crews.

Awa-iti Domain

Awa-iti Domain needs a full reinstatement, which we expect to start next week and take about 12 weeks, depending on weather conditions. The southern end of the domain is covered in silt, while aggregate has washed into the northern fields and made them unsafe to mow. As a result, touch rugby has been cancelled for the season, and the Council's Events team is working on alternative arrangements for activities normally held at the domain. We're prioritizing the senior rugby field so that some rugby activities can resume as soon as possible.

Heritage Park Little River playground

We've cleared debris from the tennis courts, repaired the driveway, removed silt and replaced the safefall at the Heritage Park Little River playground. The safety fencing around the playground is scheduled to be removed on Monday 16 March.

Little River Library and Service Centre

All going according to plan, we hope to reopen the front area of the building, which includes library services, next week. The rear section will reopen in the weeks following. In the meantime, we still have the mobile library setting up near the café every Monday and Friday, from 10.30am to 1pm.

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 12 March, the following roads have restricted access for emergency vehicles and residents only:

• Kaituna Valley Road, from Parkinsons Road to the end
• 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 Wainui Valley Road and Bossu Road
• Wainui Valley Road from YMCA
• Montgomery Road from Bachelors 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:

• Lighthouse 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

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.