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An expert in civil and environmental engineering says buy-outs should be a last resort in dealing with events like Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Government says it will help councils with the funding needed for a voluntary buy out for owners of Category 3 designated residential properties, where it’s too expensive to protect against the effects of extreme weather.
It will also co-fund work needed to protect Category 2 properties.
University of Auckland associate professor Asaad Shamseldin says government needs to consider social cohesion and work with Māori communities to co-design the solutions.
“Make sure the community is comfortable with the solutions, they are acceptable to them and maybe not happy, happy is not the right word, but they are acceptable to them and if they have to be moved maybe the whole commmunity has to be moved as a unit, not scattered all over,” he says.
Dr Shamseldin says there is no quick fix because of the scale of the repairs that are needed and the shortage of labour to do the work.
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