Natural hazards

The Waikato region is prone to natural hazards because it has:

• many areas of coastline exposed to erosion and flooding
• waterways and low-lying plains vulnerable to inland flooding
• high rainfall in the Coromandel Peninsula, at Waitomo/Kāwhia on the west coast and in alpine areas of the Tongariro National Park
• volcanic and geothermal areas
• active faults.

The effects of climate change are already being experienced in the Waikato region, and climate change is projected to continue to increase the frequency and severity of natural hazard events.

Learn more about the main natural hazards that may occur in the Waikato region.

Information about natural hazards and risks underpins good decision making. We hope that the development and provision of robust hazard information will enable our stakeholders, including the general public, to evaluate natural hazard risk and make well-informed decisions.

The Waikato Regional Hazards Portal is the ‘go to’ for any natural hazard information requests including flooding. It contains our most up to date spatial information on natural hazards, which ranges from property scale to national scale information.

When seeking natural hazard information from us, please follow the process below.

How to access natural hazard information

When seeking natural hazard information from us, please follow this process:

1. Visit the Waikato Regional Hazards Portal to view the available information for your property or area of interest - make sure you follow the instructions available on the webpage and overview tab.
   
   
2. Use the 'Overview', 'WRC data' or 'District Council data' tabs in the hazards portal to access the Co-Lab data portal and explore hazards data that may be available for you to use or download.
   
   
3. If after viewing either the hazards portal or data portal you have some questions, you can submit a ‘Request for service’ form.
   • Flood levels can also be requested using this form. Please check the portal first to see whether flood level information is available and quote the relevant Cross Section ID provided in the "River flooding" tab. Note that we provide flood levels, which are not floor levels (although they may inform them). You will need to contact your district/city council for floor level information.
     
     
4. Alternatively, you can call us on 0800 800 401, though the online form (link above) is preferred, and we will usually get the information to you just as quickly.
   
   
5. If you are planning the development of a subdivision, you should make sure you are using the most appropriate natural hazards data available. Before using any of the Waikato Regional Council natural hazard data for subdivision development purposes please contact the Waikato Regional Council Regional Resilience team for guidance. Note that further information on resource consenting is available, here.

More information and data

Waikato Regional Council holds extensive natural hazard information, but it is not complete for the entire region. Thus, a lack of natural hazard information for an area does not necessarily mean it will not be affected by natural hazards.

We recommend that you also contact the relevant district or city council as they may hold additional information, including minimum floor level requirements, stormwater, overland flow paths and surface flooding/ponding.

The following information and data may also be useful:

• For detailed information about available natural hazard data, see metadata at HAZARDS - Regional Hazards Portal - GIS Layers.
• To get access to currently available Waikato Regional Council hazards data, visit the Co-Lab data portal.
• To get access to currently available district council hazards data visit the Co-Lab data portal.
• Still can't find what you are looking for? Got feedback or questions? Please contact the Waikato Regional Council Regional Resilience team. 

Waikato Regional Council's Regional Resilience team has many responsibilities relating to natural hazard and emergency management. These responsibilities come from legislation, including the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 (CDEM Act) and Local Government Act 2002 (LGA). 

• We provide natural hazard information to the public and other stakeholders via the Waikato Regional Hazards Portal, Coastal Inundation Tool and Co-Lab Data Portal.
• We work with district councils on natural hazard provisions and maps in district plans.
• We work with Waikato Civil Defence to reduce the risk from hazards, and respond to and recover from emergencies.
• We monitor the weather and respond to flood events, in collaboration with stakeholders.
• We collaborate with district councils and the community on community strategies.
• We keep in touch with local, regional and national stakeholders to stay up to date and encourage consistency.

The best way you can reduce the risk of natural hazard events to yourself and your community is to be informed:

• Visit the  Waikato Regional Hazards Portal to learn about natural hazards that may affect your home and area and get access to the data.
• Visit the Waikato Civil Defence and Get Ready websites to learn about what to do in an emergency and how to prepare for one.
• Contact your district or city council to learn more about the hazards potentially affecting your home or area (e.g. by requesting a LIM report).
• Explore the information in this Regional Hazards and Emergency Management section of our website.  You'll also find technical information and reports in our Publications section.