Stage two of Sunday's infrastructure tour was the official opening of the G Canal floodgate.
At this event we were honoured with the attendance of not one but two MPs with both Kaipara local and keen supporter MP for Northland Grant McCallum, and Minister Shane Jones who was instrumental in securing the funding for Kaipara along with numerous other Kaipara projects over many years.
After a blessing from Haki Toka of Te Uri o Hau, speeches from the gathered dignitaries, and the cutting of the ribbon, a demonstration of the operation of the floodgate was carried out and followed by refreshments.
The Raupo Drainage Scheme covers approximately 8,700ha of highly productive fertile land surrounding Te Kowhai, Nau Mai, Raupo and Ruawai, much of which is either just above or below sea level.
A network of 70km of stop banks, 140km of canals and drains, 52 floodgates and one flood pump currently protect the area.
There are two major canals called G Canal and K Canal (G Canal is the larger). There are internal stop banks running the length of the canals, preventing large tides from travelling inland and overtopping into paddocks.
In December 2023, Kaipara District Council approved procurement of a floodgate at G Canal to prevent tidal inflows and improve drainage performance. The project was largely funded through MBIE Infrastructure Reference Group funding and protects key assets including State Highway 12. Construction started in October 2024 and was completed in September 2025 at a cost of $5.3 milion.
Construction of the structure was complex, requiring the installation of a temporary cofferdam, draining part of the river channel and crews and machinery working below the water level. The technological challenges of this project represented something of a New Zealand first and required a lot of innovation through the design and construction phases. A big thank you to Barfoote Construction and GWE for this outstanding work.
The completed floodgate is to be operated and maintained by the Raupo Drainage Committee and is already performing better than expected, both in terms of improving drainage and preventing flooding, but also achieving operational efficiencies and savings on maintenance costs across a wider area
Photo: Cutting the ribbon with Minister Jones (no we're not holding hands...)
Photo: Addressing the crowd
