Creating Flood Disasters

New Zealand’s oscillating history

Authors

  • Neil Ericksen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/pq.v20i3.9563

Keywords:

Flood hazard, Disaster potential, Coercive–prescriptive, Cooperative–devolved, Policies and practices

Abstract

Using a three-part framework to evaluate choices for adjusting to floods in New Zealand, factors influencing floodplain policies and practices since 1950 are identified. Each change came after severe regional flooding. Early emphasis was on enlarging channels and raising stopbanks, and on post-disaster relief. These responses enhanced urban floodplain development, and disasters when systems failed. Periodically, attempts to improve land use planning and building management, including requirements for flood hazard maps, met stiff resistance from developers, property owners and growth-oriented local politicians, resulting in changed legislation. Policy and practice thereby oscillated several times in response to prescriptive/coercive and devolved/co-operative mandates. Underpinning all has been poor understanding of flood frequency statements on the part of at-risk people.

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Author Biography

Neil Ericksen

Neil Ericksen retired from the University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga ō Waikato in 2008, having served as head of geography, 1984–87. He was the founding director of the Centre for Environmental Studies (1990–96) and founding director of the International Climate Change Institute (1996–2006). He led the New Zealand component of a three-nation study (USA, Australia, New Zealand) on environmental management  and governance with respect to natural hazards (1991–95) and a FRST-funded programme on planning under cooperative mandates (1995–2006).

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Published

2024-08-19

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 3 (2024): Policy Quarterly

Section

Articles

License

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