Rafaella MeloReporter·Hawkes Bay Today·2 Jul, 2026 02:36 AM4 mins to read‌The Waiohiki stopbank is the first of 11 flood resilience projects being delivered across Hawke's Bay after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Hawke's Bay Regional CouncilThis article has been updated to correct four figures. The total cost of the projects is $257 million, not $265m. The breakdown of funding between Government and HBRC is $209m and $48m, not $214m and $50m. The cost of the Whirinaki project is $23m, not $28m. A quote in the story which suggested there were two new flood protection projects in the region has also been removed - HBRC says at least five of them can be classified as new works rather than rebuilds.Eleven flood resilience projects will give Hawke’s Bay stronger protection than it had during Cyclone Gabrielle.

But despite the $257 million cost, none of them is designed to completely hold back the kind of floodwaters that poured down from the hills on February 14,