For your wet Sunday reading – aka TRM Flood report…

What with all the flooding everywhere from USA to West Island to the South Island, we have been anxiously waiting for our turn in Turangi… Why? Did you know the Toe-paw Council suddenly decided that after over 60 years of operating in safe conditions, we are now dangerously located in a FLOOD HAZARD ZONE! Not everywhere in Turangi – just at TRM!

Then last week the council tried to claim TRM were guilty of neglect and sent their Senior Environmental Health Officer to interrogate SWMBO – only they picked on the wrong motel – see previous report. Before that TRM suffered the “sign wars” for several years, being fined several times for welcoming tourists to Turangi.

There have been too many of these pathetic attempts by Toe-paw Council to shut us down to be a coincidence. You decide!

Global warming or stupidity? Does this amount to victimisation or is this normal bloody-minded council belligerence?

In 2019 Council designated TRM (Tongariro River Motel) land – over 4700m2 on SH1 – to sink to become a flood hazard zone. This obviously detrimentally affects any property affected with a negative impact on value, creating buyer resistance, etc.

TRM took advice and had the audacity to object to their decision for the following reasons:

1 TRM motel has been on this site for over 60 years – since the late 1950’s – and it has never flooded. Why has it suddenly become flood-prone? There must be a reason…

2 On each street surrounding the property is a council drain – see photos – on Taupahi Road, on Piri Road, and a big drain on SH1. In addition within the property is another main drain connected to the street drainage system plus gutters leading to soak holes. Underneath the topsoil is a stoney river delta providing excellent drainage. If anything, it is “over-drained”!

3 The land has a gentle slope to the north. This is most apparent when a bike is ridden from Taupahi Park – 300 m south – towards the river bridge. One hardly needs to pedal at all. Therefore all rainwater drains away naturally. But council claim that only the TRM property floods.

4 During the last “one hundred” year flood, when the Tongariro River exceed 1400 cumecs (compared to the “normal” dam controlled flow of 20-25 cumecs) in February 2004 the property did not flood. After the 2004 flood huge stopbanks were built along the TLB (True Left Bank of the Tongariro River looking downriver). The only way the area can flood is by the back-up from Lake Taupo being held at excessive levels, so when the Tongariro River hits a hydraulic dam and backs up to flood all of Turangi.

5 Surrounding and adjoining properties are not designated as being in the flood hazard zone. Immediately adjoining the southern boundary with access from Taupahi Road the two properties are not included (their land was once part of TRM but was subdivided off when SH1 was developed). Opposite on Taupahi Road the residential properties are not affected. Across Piri Road to the north, the properties are not affected. According to the theory of gravity, rainwater must spread onto other properties. Somehow Taupo Council engineers or their consultants decided the rain must only fall on TRM and not on those surrounding TRM.

Accordingly, we objected. The council engineers reinspected the property and the above reasons were pointed out to them. Then we discovered on their aerial survey that they had included one small square area as a flood hazard, being where a kids swimming pool had been located. This had been filled in about ten years prior as it did not comply with council regulations. Council’s records were clearly obsolete and out of date.

Nevertheless, they advised TRM still remained designated as being located in a flood hazard zone so we went to appeal. At the subsequent appeal hearing, we explained the above reasons but it still made no difference. It defies belief. They had decided.

That has to be a clear case of victimisation.

The flood hazard zones were approved by Taupo District Council on March 26 2019 as Plan Change 34 which became operative on April 15 2019.

The original red zone was assessed when the likelihood of the depth of flood was calculated at over one metre and the speed of the flow is over two metres per second.

What a load of ridiculous poppycock BS. This illustrates how councils waste our rates.

Surely they can’t be that stupid?

That is why we believe the inclusion of TRM property as a flood hazard zone can only be regarded as deliberate persecution. You decide…