Auckland's floods make managed retreat policy urgent

Difficult choices are ahead about what to do, and who should pay. (Image: Getty)

Tue, 14 Feb 2023

It is nearly 18 years since the Bay of Plenty seaside settlement of Matatā suffered catastrophic flooding after torrential rain.Despite it being clear that homes should not be re-established in the flood zone, some property owners rebuilt, and many spent years looking for a solution that would restore land that had disappeared as surely as the dream that prompted its purchase.It took the best part of 17 of those years for something like a final answer to emerge, and it didn’t involve the property owners staying put.OutrageIn September 202...

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