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Stanmore Bay resident Alethea Courtnay believes Auckland Council should do more to care for overgrown streams, especially when they run through multiple properties, after repeated flooding at her home.
Courtnay’s house was severely affected by flooding during both the Anniversary Weekend and Cyclone Gabrielle storms, as water from the stream running through her property overflowed. She says the council’s lack of action in maintaining the stream has left her exhausted and frustrated.
“The mangroves downstream need to be removed,” she says. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I went to look, you can only see the trees, you can hardly see the water.”
Courtnay has raised ongoing concerns with the council over the years about managing the stream, which lies in a gully that runs parallel to Langton and Brightside roads, passes through multiple private properties, and continues downstream through council-owned Stanmore Bay Park into the bay. Mangrove growth in the lower tidal section on council land significantly restricts water flow, increasing flood risk, she says, while other properties are heavily overgrown.
She argues that the council needs to assist private owners by actively maintaining streams, particularly when they cross multiple properties. Council staff previously told her she didn’t have ownership rights over the creek, despite it running through her property, so she doesn’t understand why she has to bear responsibility for its upkeep.
According to Auckland Council’s flood hazard maps, the area between Brightside and Langton Roads near Stanmore Bay Park is zoned as a floodplain and coastal inundation area. The council’s Shoreline Adaptation Plan identifies the Stanmore Bay foreshore for managed retreat in the long term, due to increasing coastal inundation and flooding risks.
“It wasn’t classified as a floodplain when I first moved here and it’s devaluing all the properties,” she says. “I’ve seen the damage caused by people and all the development, not thinking about what they are doing, they’re not caring about the people.”
The council says mangrove removal can only be undertaken following environmental regulations and resource consent, specifically where mangroves significantly obstruct water flow or heighten flood risks.
If waterways run between private property boundaries, responsibility generally falls to adjacent property owners, the council says, and neighbours should work together. to maintain these watercourses.
Courtney remains concerned about the immediate risks. “We need clearer guidelines and better management from the council,” she says. “It’s unfair, considering it wasn’t our fault that we flooded.”
Andrew Skelton, Auckland Council’s Head of Operations for Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience, says although the upstream portion is managed by Auckland Council, further downstream is not.
“The stream behind Langton Road is a private watercourse that is not actively managed by Auckland Council,” Skelton says. “The upstream section running through D’Oyly Reserve is actively maintained and carries the majority of regular rainfall out to Stanmore Bay. However, the downstream section runs through private land.”
“However, as part of Making Space for Water, the council’s flood resilience programme, extra funds have been set aside to inspect critical public and private watercourses and work with owners to clear blockages that could impact the community. Inspections, including in Stanmore Bay, are expected to begin soon.”
