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Otepuni Flood Infrastructure Project

The Otepuni Flood Infrastructure Project is the next stage in strengthening Waihōpai Invercargill’s urban flood network. The project will focus on low sections of the Otepuni flood bank and surrounding infrastructure to align performance with recent upgrades to the Waihōpai River flood bank and improve consistency across the wider network.

Waihōpai Invercargill sits at the confluence of the Ōreti, Waihōpai and Otepuni systems, where river flows, urban drainage networks and downstream estuary conditions interact.

The project builds on earlier co-funded upgrades to the Waihōpai River flood bank and associated flood infrastructure.

Planning and detailed design work for the project is underway, with staged delivery expected to begin from 2026 and continue through to 2028. Environment Southland is also working with Invercargill City Council and other partners as investigations and planning progress.

Recent flood resilience investment in Invercargill

Environment Southland-led work has included:

  • upgrades to the eastern (true left) Waihōpai River flood bank
  • redevelopment of the Stead Street pump station
  • targeted vegetation and tree removal works to support flood flow capacity and long-term network performance

Alongside this work, Invercargill City Council replaced the Stead Street flood bank with a sheet pile wall, upgraded the Cobbe Road flood bank, and completed associated drainage and stormwater improvements.

Together, these projects help sustain agreed service levels and improve network performance during high flows.

Understanding the wider network

Flood infrastructure across Waihōpai Invercargill functions as an interconnected urban network. Low points or under-performing sections can place pressure on surrounding infrastructure during high-flow events.

Updated 2D hydraulic modelling is helping Environment Southland better understand how the Ōreti, Waihōpai and Otepuni systems perform together across the city and where future investment will be most effective.

This work is also being informed by Murihiku Southland’s updated Climate Change Impact Assessment, released in 2026, which identifies increasing flood risk, changing rainfall patterns and more frequent severe weather events as important challenges for future infrastructure planning and adaptation.

Funding and collaboration

On 16 October 2025, new co-funding for flood resilience work was confirmed through Kānoa – the Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit (MBIE) under the national Resilient River Communities initiative.

The Otepuni Flood Infrastructure Project is co-funded through the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) and Environment Southland as part of this national programme.

Delivery involves ongoing coordination and engagement between Environment Southland, Invercargill City Council, Te Ao Mārama Inc. on behalf of Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku, infrastructure partners and the wider community.

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