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Frustrated residents living near waterfall corner on Matakana Valley Road say Auckland Transport (AT) has failed to address their concerns over slip repair work that was carried out there earlier this year.
The project began on January 20 and included road widening, excavation, stormwater upgrades and the construction of a large Redi-Rock retaining wall (MM, Jun 20).
Vicki Brits, who lives just below the site, said contractors had finished in late July, but issues caused by the work remained.
“You can hardly see the waterfall at all anymore, everything’s just behind the retaining wall. What’s left is ugly and unnatural – it’s devastating.”
Brits said the changes had altered water flow through the valley, worsening flooding on neighbouring properties, and heavy rains in June had caused significant damage, with residents sharing videos of water backing up across driveways.
Her neighbour Coll Bell said if there were another weather event like Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, a lot of the boulders beneath the culvert were going to get washed down the hill.
“We’ve had nothing like Gabrielle in the last two years. But when we have another one of those big occasions, a lot of those boulders are going to get washed right down into Vicky’s property and down into the flats at the bottom,” he said.
Brits emailed her concerns and questions to AT on August 4 (summarised here):
• Flooding has worsened due to altered flows from the waterfall and new drains, which has increased stream and land erosion, and sent faster, deeper water into 950, 952 and 954. Previous flooding did not block access driveways like it has recently
• Are there preventative measures against slips and erosion from the new drains/culverts into neighbouring properties, especially near 950’s driveway?
• Department of Conservation’s (DOC) February 2024 assessment found high water quality and biodiversity, but there is no fish ladder at the waterfall – when will this be remedied?
• Did AT follow Resource Management Act (RMA) protocols and best practice during works? Where is the evidence of this?
Brits said despite months of complaints to AT, its official responses had been repetitive and dismissive.
“The letter we got on September 22 [in response to her email] was word-for-word the same as what they sent us in March. They’re still not taking responsibility, they just keep covering the facts.”
Brits added that the matter had now been referred to lawyers, with two neighbouring properties joining discussions. She also recently escalated the issue to Mayor Wayne Brown’s office “after feeling AT had stonewalled residents”.
An AT spokesperson said AT and Downer (contracted by AT to carry out the slip repair work) had ensured that all elements of Brits’ concerns had been investigated and addressed thoroughly.
They provided some points of clarification relating to Vicki’s concerns:
• “We put in a larger culvert under the road to prevent the flood waters (when we have a similar flood to 2023) from over-topping the road, and causing damage to the road as it’s a crucial alternative to the Northern Motorway (Brynderwyns) and, if closed, can cause serious detour issues. We did not change the volumes or direction. Volumes are determined by the amount of rain
• “Emergency provisions under the RMA allowed us to do this with retrospective consent applications, as explained numerous times”
AT also responded to the concern that the boulders beneath the culvert could get washed downhill.
“When the project was completed, Downer’s engineers confirmed the new angle of rock face is as per design intent and there are no issues of what Coll is suggesting happening.”
AT said it would not be investigating this matter any further or providing further responses unless new information or evidence was provided.
