Government announces flood resilience funding
Published: 16 October, 2025
The Government has announced that it will invest $96.8 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) into 32 flood resilience projects across New Zealand, helping protect more than 30,000 homes and around 350,000 hectares of land.
Of these projects, 22 are in the South Island, reflecting the need for infrastructure that can withstand increasingly severe and frequent weather events.
The flood resilience projects announced today are part of the second tranche of flood resilience projects funded under the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF). The projects will help protect around 100,000 New Zealanders who live in those areas and bring the total number of flood resilience projects supported by the RIF to 74.
Since August 2024, nearly $200 million has been committed to protecting regional communities from flooding impacts.
The Government will fund 60% of the cost of the 32 projects, with relevant local authorities co-funding the balance.
This second tranche of flood resilience projects also includes $7.46 million for installing early warning flood systems across 10 councils nationwide – helping regions prepare for storms and recover faster.
Recent examples of flood resilience in action:
- During this year’s flooding at the top of the South, early works at Spring Creek funded through the first tranche of flood resilience RIF projects prevented significant property and infrastructure damage.
- In Motueka, local authorities reported that without government-funded flood resilience infrastructure, the township would have been inundated.
- In Taradale, during Cyclone Gabrielle, a $4 million Kānoa funded flood protection investment saved over $7 billion in damages.
View the full list of flood resilience projects supported by Flood resilience funding.