Future of Severely Affected Locations (FOSAL)
Update: The submission period has now closed. We will update this page as the project progresses.
Far North District Council has a one-off opportunity to participate in the Future of Severely Affected Locations (FOSAL) Programme. This Council-led programme offers financial support for properties severely affected by the January and February 2023 storms, including Cyclones Gabrielle and Hale, where there is an ongoing intolerable risk to human life.
We are seeking feedback on whether the council should participate in the FOSAL programme.
What is the FOSAL programme?
The Future of Severely Affected Locations (FOSAL) programme is a Council programme to assist owners of land that was severely impacted by the weather events experienced in January and February 2023, where there is an ongoing intolerable risk to human life from future severe weather events.
Under this programme, costs for voluntary buy outs and relocations of dwellings on Category 3 designated properties will be shared equally between central government and Far North District Council. These Category 3 properties are assessed as not safe to live on due to an intolerable risk of future flooding or land slips, and risk of loss of life. Homes in these areas should not remain or be rebuilt on their current sites.
Category 3 whenua Māori has the option to follow the Whenua Māori and marae Pathway rather than the Council Pathway. The Council Policy does not apply to the Whenua Māori and marae Pathway.
How can I have my say?
Share your feedback by completing the online survey here
Your views on this proposal are important to us.
You can share your feedback by using any of the following methods:
- Email your submission to submissions@fndc.govt.nz
- Drop-off your submission at any council service centre or library, details of their locations and opening times are listed at www.fndc.govt.nz/contact or you can get that information by phoning the council on 0800 920 029
- Post your submission to: Climate Action and Resilience Department, Far North District Council, Private Bag 752, Kaikohe 0440
Please include your full name and email address or postal address in your submission if you want the council to acknowledge receipt of your submission.
We must receive your feedback by 5pm 10 October 2024.
Note: Any submissions that are out of scope, offensive, inappropriate, or late may not be accepted by the council. You will be notified if your decision is not accepted and, where appropriate, invited to resubmit. Any submissions that are made will become part of the public consultation process. The collection and use of personal information by the Far North District Council is regulated by the Privacy Act 2020. Please note that your submission or a summary of your submission will be treated as public information and may be published on the council's website and made available to elected members and members of the public as part of the consultation process. Your name and contact details (address, phone number, email) will only be used for administrative purposes - such as the council contacting you to update you on the outcome of this consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The FOSAL programme offers to buy out properties identified as high-risk (Category 3).
Category 3 properties must have been severely affected (sustained material damage) by the North Island Weather Events of 2023 (Cyclones Gabrielle and Hale or the Auckland Anniversary Floods) and are not safe to live in because of the intolerable risk to human life from future severe weather events of flooding or landslide. Homes in these areas are not safe to be rebuilt on their current sites.
Independent adaptation and natural hazard specialists Adapterra and Urban Intelligence have undertaken an initial assessment that included a desk top analysis of natural hazards, exposure and risk using computer modelling. A multi-criteria assessment and technical analysis produced a shortlist of residential properties that were potentially affected by the North Island Weather Events of 2023. Those property owners have been contacted directly. Where those property owners can demonstrate that they were severely affected by NIWE, an independent environmental and engineering consultancy, Tonkin + Taylor, will complete an in-depth assessment to determine if the property meets the Category 3 criteria. This will only occur if the property owner opts to join the programme.
Costs are unsure at this stage, as the final number of properties involved is unknown as is the value of these properties. Buyouts will be for the market value of the property before the weather events (as assessed by an independent valuer) less any insurance or EQC payments received by the property owner. More specific details are included in the Future of Severely Affected Land - Voluntary Buyout and Relocation Policy
No, joining this programme is completely voluntary for affected landowners.
The programme only applies to properties severely affected by the extreme weather events of January and February 2023 and is therefore a on-off programme. Funding for the programme ceases 30 June 2025 and all buyouts or relocation must be settled before this date.
There are two options:
1) A complete buy-out offer where Council purchases the dwelling and the land.
2) Relocation of the dwelling to a safer location within the property, in which case the owner retains ownership of the land but a covenant is placed on the unsafe area to prevent futher dwelling/s being built in that area.
Residential use of Whenua Māori that is identified as Category 3 by Council’s independent assessor has the option to follow either the Council process or the Whenua Māori and marae Pathway. This Pathway is designed to provide relocation grants to affected property owners, enabling them to move to safer locations, while the whenua remains owned by iwi and hapu. The Whenua Māori and marae Pathway is administrated directly by Central Government.
Please email the Council at climate.action@fndc.govt.nz and we will contact you.
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