Māngere: recovery from the early 2023 storms

Māngere was hit hard by major storms in 2023, causing flooding in pockets across the suburb, but particularly around the Te Ararata and Harania creeks in Māngere Central and Māngere East. Flood waters were at dangerous levels, with people needing rescuing and many whānau displaced in the aftermath

While most locals have moved on with their lives, the job continues to help affected homeowners and the community recover, while increasing their storm resilience and preparedness.

On this page:

• Flood resilience projects
• Stormwater maintenance
• Flood risk categories
• Wellbeing support
• Removal of high-risk homes
• Maintenance of Category 3 properties
• Unit title and cross-lease situations
• Future use of storm-affected land
• Community recovery planning
• Flood awareness and preparedness - what you can do
• Managing development in hazard areas

Major flood resilience projects

These two highly impacted areas are the first in Auckland to be prioritised for major $53 million flood resilience projects.

Projects underway around the Harania and Te Ararata waterways will reduce flood risk for hundreds of homes - and in a blockage situation there could be a thousand that benefit. Funding, plans, and consents have been approved in record time so they can be delivered in record time.

A Stakeholder Advisory Group for the projects, made up of Māngere community members, is helping provide feedback while taking information back to the community.

As part of these works, the Te Ararata bridge closure and replacement is now underway (near the Walmsley and Coronation Road intersection), with the bridge closure going to at least March 2026. Visit the Auckland Council website to find out more about each of the Te Ararata and Harania flood resilience projects. You can also email the team at [email protected] with specific questions.

Ongoing stormwater work

To increase storm resilience the council has also:

• removed tonnes of debris from local streams and waterways including the Mahunga culvert
• increased inspections and maintenance of key pipes and streams
• increased catchpit cleaning from once to twice per year
• installed hotspot cameras to identify blockages for faster removal by Operations teams
• upgrading to 'back-entry' catchpits that still take in water if the top grate is blocked.

Alongside this we are working with the community to help reduce dumping around streams and increase storm preparedness. In Māngere we have partnered with the Te Ararata Stream team (Te Ararata Stream) and BlueSpur consulting (Māngere inlet and Harania catchment) to improve local flood knowledge, expand stream restoration efforts, and support stormwater management. Get in touch with these groups or keep an eye out for local events!

Flood risk categories at storm-impacted homes

The council has been assessing homes affected in the 2023 storms that registered for a future risk category, offering buy-out or construction grant support depending on the risk.

Visit our Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office website for more information, or these pages on the council website for detailed information about each category:

• Category 1:79 homes in Māngere were cleared of having an 'intolerable risk to life' from future flooding and landslides.
• Category 2C:31 homes in Māngere were identified as having an 'intolerable risk to life', but local flood reduction projects underway will reasonably reduce the risk.
• Category 2P:3homes in Māngerewere identified as having an 'intolerable risk to life', but are receiving support to implement solutions at their home that will reduce this risk to a reasonable level.
• Category 3:48homes in Māngerewere identified as having an 'intolerable risk to life',but there is no viable solution to reduce the risk to a reasonable level. These homeowners have been offered a buy-out to help them move out of harm's way.

As at 4 November 2025 17 buy-outs had been finalised, with the rest at various stages of the buy-out process.

For information about storm affected Kāinga Ora properties in the area, email [email protected]

Wellbeing support

Various community and wellbeing support is available for storm-affected residents, including free help with processing home insurance claims, rates relief, temporary accommodation assistance, and wider financial and mental health support. Check out the available wellbeing resources on OurAuckland.

As many of the whānau affected by the 2023 severe weather events have moved forward, and no longer require the support of the Storm Recovery Navigation Service, the service is winding down toward closure in December 2025. While the team continue working with their current whānau, they are no longer accepting any new referrals. Check out the available wellbeing resources on OurAuckland.

Removal of high-risk homes

Around 1200 homes across Auckland have been assessed as Category 3 (intolerable risk to life) and are being offered a council buy-out to help them move out of harm's way.

In Māngere there are 48 homes in this position. We still have a number of Category 3 homeowners going through the buy-out process in Māngere, and are yet to lock in specific removal plans.

Once owned by the council, high-risk Category 3 homes will be removed in clusters as part of our home removal programme (and we'll continue to look at how we make Category 3 units within multi-unit complexes safe). Most homes will be relocated or deconstructed, with around a third relocated for use elsewhere. Salvageable materials will be sent to recycling partners for reuse.

Near the end of September removal work will start on the first local high-risk home to be removed, on Lyncroft Street, Māngere East. As we confirm detailed plans for the rest, we'll inform direct neighbours and previous homeowners, while keeping the wider community updated about the general programme of work. Please contact [email protected] if you require more information.

Read more on the home removal programme page.

Maintenance of Category 3 properties

After settlement of a property, Auckland Council provides a basic level of maintenance on a monthly schedule. The focus is on maintaining areas visible from roads and footpaths i.e. berms and front yards on properties that have road frontages. Regular security patrols will also monitor the properties.

If you have an issue with a Category 3 home that has been purchased by the council, please raise a maintenance request in the 'Auckland Council Report a Problem tool'. Note that until council takes ownership of a property, we are unable to do any work on it.

Damage from break-ins and vandalism is an ongoing issue, with more and more houses having to be boarded up to prevent this. If you see any suspicious behaviour please report it to the police.

For questions about maintenance/security of storm-affected homes check out the FAQs.

Unit title and cross-lease situations

We acknowledge how complex and emotional these situations are - particularly for homeowners in shared ownership situations concerned about the future of their own home. So we recognise the importance of ongoing communication in these situations.

In unit-titles and cross-lease situations we'll notify other owners on the property after a sale is agreed with council, keep them updated of our plans, and seek written approval where required for any activities. Plans could involve making the site safe, exploring non-residential uses, or other appropriate options.

For more information see our multi-unit and cross-lease FAQs.

Future use of storm-affected land

We have a region-wide policythat guides what we do with this land. Our top priority is always safety - but we also need to make sure we're delivering good value for Aucklanders, especially given how expensive these buy-outs have been. You can find the policy online at ourauckland.nz/futureuse.

Essential use or hazard management

We're considering how Category 3 land can support essential council serviceslike flood mitigation, which will save Aucklanders money in the long run. We expect around half of the properties to remain with council either because they're useful or need management due to high hazard risks.

Opportunities for sale

But holding onto land has ongoing costs. If a property isn't needed for essential council services or hazard management, we'll consider selling it where's it's safe to do so.

Some sites may become safe for redevelopmentby building on less hazardous areas or having the risk reduced through measures like flood protection upgrades.

If the land isn't essential or redevelopable, other sale optionswill be considered, such as backyard extensions for neighbours or rural grazing. Due to the hazard, there will be limitations on use.

Community uses

We're working with local boards and mana whenua to explore community uses for land where council services or sale aren't viable. This could include parks or open spaces in areas that lack them - particularly where funding is available to support these initiatives.

Interim uses

In the meantime, we're considering safe temporary uses with supporting guidelines. Community groups and organisations can apply to use this land for low-risk, non-residential activities like planting, grazing, play equipment, or temporary events. Guidelines are available at ourauckland.nz/futureuse.

Got a land use suggestion?

After looking at the guidelines you can make suggestions for future or interim uses at ourauckland.nz/futureuse.We'll only get in touch when we have an update - this will take time.

Looking forward: Community recovery planning

We know that there will be a lot of change in these areas - with families leaving, homes being removed, and major flood resilience projects under construction.

Community-led recovery planning is now underway for Māngere, helping locals work together to navigate this time of change and actively address their needs at the street, neighbourhood or community level.

With approximately $300,000 in recovery funding available for recovery initiatives and projects, the focus has been to help as many people as possible have a say.

We are now analysing feedback and information gathered from two months of community engagement events in Māngere. A Māngere Community Recovery Leadership Rōpū, with a diverse range of community members, has been established to drive the recovery plan based on community input.

Community events and engagements

With community recovery planning and flood resilience projects in full swing, there are lots of events happening in our storm-impacted communities. For the latest events and engagement opportunities in your neighbourhood, visit our community events page.

Preparing your home and family

There is a lot of information available about flood risk in communities and at homes, with a key resource being the Auckland Council Flood Viewer where you can search to find Auckland addresses. Connected to this, there is some fantastic information, including language translations, to help you reduce the flood risk at your home and keep your family prepared.

Reporting flooding, dumping and stormwater blockage issues to 09 301 01 01 will ensure the council can address issues as soon as possible.

Emergency readiness

An Emergency Readiness Plan is now in place for the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board area based on its unique geographical, social and hazard profile. The plan identifies the local board area's top hazards and provides tips on reducing risk, preparing for emergencies, and navigating the recovery process. In the meantime, Auckland Emergency Management is working with local partners to support local preparedness activities.

You can find this emergency readiness plan on the Auckland Emergency Management website, including a handy summary guide. These summary information sheets are being translated into Samoan, Tongan, Hindi, Chinese, Te Reo Maori and Korean.

If there are any community groups who would like to support their communities during and after a disaster, to get in touch with AEM on [email protected]

Managing development in hazard areas

For more information, visit the Plan Change 120 page on the council's website.