On Tuesday 24 February 2026, an intense one‑hour storm dropped 32.2 mm of rain on Gisborne, causing localised flooding in the Rosalia Estate development area, particularly around Swinburne Avenue and Cherry Lane. The sharp downpour exceeded the capacity of both the partially constructed drainage system within the estate and the existing surrounding infrastructure, resulting in overland flows and inundation of the local road network.
We recognise that this sudden storm event has had a real impact on neighbouring residents, particularly those who experienced flooding. We understand the disruption and concern caused and are working closely with the developer to address the immediate issues and reduce the risk of a similar occurrence in the future.
Rosalia Estate is a private development and Council officers from Engineering and Civil Services inspected the area following the event and have met with the contractor, Winslow, to discuss immediate and longer‑term solutions. Council will continue to investigate the performance of existing infrastructure, including undertaking CCTV inspections and cleaning of Council drainage assets, while Winslow has been asked to assess the sub-division drainage network and provide a remediation plan.
Council will review the developer's remediation proposal once received, monitor reconstruction of affected crossovers and temporary controls, and work with the developer to bring forward feasible outfall upgrade options to improve the system's overall capacity and reliability.
Further updates on this situation will be provided.
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