Development Pressures and Catchment Planning in a Coastal Community

This paper details both the historical and current development pressures that are placed on the northern Waihi Beach catchments. It also identifies some of the management methods that have been adopted to control development in areas prone to natural hazards.

The paper provides a brief overview of flood hazard mapping that has been carried out. Most importantly, the paper identifies how a quantitative flooding assessment was used to assist decision makers with asset planning, catchment planning and investment budgets for the future, using a risk based approach.

The paper provides an appraisal of the flood damage assessment at Waihi Beach using depth damage curves to quantify damage costs. The report finds that many of the recommendations of a 2004 report to the NZ Climate Change Office regarding understanding of flood damage are still valid in 2012.