Benchmarking Auckland's stormwater management practice against the Water Sensitive City framework

Stormwater management in Auckland has experienced considerable flux in recent years. The amalgamation of regional and district councils to establish Auckland Council as a unitary authority marked a significant change in the institutional arrangements for stormwater, requiring new accountabilities, policies, procedures and guidelines. The Auckland Plan now presents the region’s long-term strategic direction.

It is timely to consider how stormwater management practice can contribute to the articulated vision of Auckland as the world’s most liveable city. This project was commissioned by Auckland Council’s Stormwater Unit to inform the development of the 2015-45 Stormwater Asset Management Plan and other stormwater management activities of Auckland Council.

This report, by the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, presents an assessment of stormwater management practice in Auckland, benchmarking the region’s current aspiration,policy and on-ground action against scientifically accepted world’s best practice for sustainable water management. It analyses Auckland’s transition towards its aspired city-state, identifies key challenges and proposes a strategy and suite of recommendations for advancing Auckland’s stormwater management towards a Water Sensitive City.