Stormwater Strategy for Tauranga

The Draft Stormwater Strategy for Tauranga sets out the major issues affecting the city’s stormwater management over the next 30 years and beyond, and identifies the actions needed to address these issues.

Note: this is an General Manager-approved draft plan which enables the council to continue to plan and deliver quality water supply infrastructure and services to our communities, while remaining responsive to changes that may arise from the Government’s Local Water Done Well initiative. 

Executive Summary - Draft Stormwater Strategy 2024-2054 (1mb pdf) Draft Stormwater Strategy 2024-2054 (1mb pdf)

The 30-year Stormwater Strategy aims to implement water sensitive design to achieve sustainable stormwater management that protects Tauranga’s community and environment over the long term.

Stormwater is rain, it is not treated water. The purpose of the stormwater system is to provide a safe way for rainwater to drain away from where we live, work and play, and to prevent flooding.  

The city is organised into six stormwater catchments, which are subject to three comprehensive stormwater consents.  Tauranga currently has 626 km of stormwater mains and 5 pump stations, some stormwater reserves, and many overland flowpaths, storage ponds, soak holes and stop banks for flood protection.  

The key issue for managing stormwater in Tauranga going forward can be summarised as: creating the resilience needed to reduce the impacts of flooding, and degradation of water quality and ecosystems caused by stormwater, in the face of urban growth and climate change challenges.

Key tasks 

The key tasks that must be addressed within the strategy timeframe are:

• Continuing to develop the Tangata Whenua Partnership Programme, Community and Stakeholder Engagement Programme, and Our Water Future programme – all of which go across all three waters’ strategies and projects.
• Working with the development community – to establish good relationships and set out clear expectations and outcomes for managing stormwater, backed up by a suitable regulatory framework.  
• Improving our stormwater management knowledge – successful and sustainable implementation of water sensitive design, stormwater activities, and ongoing management requires a thorough and in-depth knowledge of the natural and built systems that are the basis of it.
• Using Dynamic Adaptive Pathway Planning (DAPP) – often used to manage the risks to coastal communities from sea level rise, it uses long-term monitoring to indicate when trigger points are met (rather than more traditional planning which relies on assumptions about future conditions).  DAPP is a helpful for engaging with our communities, but will also require additional technical information and support to ensure it remains effective over time.
• Adopting water sensitive design as an integral component of urban planning – water sensitive design seeks to: mitigate flooding, improve stormwater quality, provide opportunities for harvesting of rainwater and stormwater for subsequent use, reduce the ‘heat island effect’ generated by intensive urban development and increased paved areas, improve the aesthetics of the urban environment to increase wellbeing in the community.   This strategy has adopted Ngā Wai Manga / the Urban Water Principles to foster Tauranga’s shift to water sensitive design.  These Principles refer to water sensitive design directly and indirectly, and the implementation of Te Mana o te Wai is likely to be enhanced by using water sensitive design in urban design and planning.

More information about water sensitive design

Ngā Wai Manga / The Urban Water Principles were developed by the national Urban Water Working Group in 2018, an independent collaborative body comprising urban water practitioners and technical experts, convened by the Ministry for the Environment to develop a vision and related principles to drive better stormwater outcomes.  The five Principles and further explanation are provided on pages 33-34 of the Draft Stormwater Strategy. 

These key tasks will take into account all external challenges and opportunities, including those common to all three of our waters’ strategies, which are: climate change, natural hazards, implementing Te Mana o te Wai, urban growth and infrastructure provision, and regulatory compliance / legislative change. (Further information is provided in the where we’re heading (link) section).

You can find out more information about current projects and programmes that help deliver on our Stormwater Strategy, and about water sensitive on the Wai / Water page.
 

Resources

Document Library

• Executive Summary - Draft Stormwater Strategy 2024-2054 (1mb pdf)
• Draft Stormwater Strategy 2024-2054 (1.8mb pdf)

Related information

• Where we’re headed (our 30-year waters plans)
• Draft Water Supply Strategy for Tauranga 
• Draft Wastewater Strategy for Tauranga
• Water Services Reform (Local Water Done Well)
• Wai / Water Services
• 2024-2034 Long-term Plan and 30-year Infrastructure Strategy
• Climate Action & Investment Plan
• Nature and Biodiversity Action & investment Plan
• Tauranga Taurikura – Environment Strategy
• Connected Centres Programme
• SmartGrowth Strategy
• Tauranga Moana Iwi Management Plan