Popular Auckland campground re-opens for summer despite flood risk

A popular campground at an Auckland beachside community will remain open this summer despite the council's concerns over flooding risks.

Piha Campground, located on recreation reserve land within Piha Domain in West Auckland, was given the green light to resume operations by the Wāitakere Local Board after being closed for almost five months.

The campground lease expired in April 2020 but continued operating under a month-to-month periodic arrangement, until June.

Despite a strong recommendation from Auckland Council staff to shut it completely, on Thursday the local board voted unanimously to keep the campground open for the 2026/2027 summer season until May next year, under the same arrangement.

Local board chair Mark Allen said they would continue working with council staff and the community to ensure camping at Piha could continue for as long as possible.

"People choose to visit us because of beautiful beaches, our wonderful walking tracks and our amazing campground at Piha," Allen said. "They experience our environment knowing that there are risks."

The re-opening came with conditions - including flood-warning systems, monitoring, evacuation procedures and other operational controls being implemented by the campground operator.

According to meeting documents, updated flood hazard assessments by the council's Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience Department (Healthy Waters) identified the campground was within a high flood hazard environment, with a significant level of flood risk.

It stated camping was a hazard-sensitive activity because occupants may be asleep and would be unable to respond quickly to rapidly developing flood events.

"Given the risks, overnight camping activity within a high-flood hazard environment is not recommended."

The board was presented with two options, to either discontinue overnight camping and end the occupancy arrangement or resume it only for the 2026/2027 season.

Allen said the local board considered the organisational risk but also how to balance safety while maintaining opportunities for people to access and enjoy the ranges.

"I do not believe that Auckland Council can respond to every increasing climate-related risk, simply by closing facilities and restricting access.

"Climate change is likely to present us with more decisions like this in the future. We need more mature conversations about risk, resilience, adaptation and the level of risk that society id prepared to accept."

He said council recommendations did not take into account the economic and social impact of the campground..

"A one-size assessment does not fit all, and we know that Auckland Council has to look at the urban environments that are incredibly dense and sometimes our wilder places don't quite fit within that model."

An impassioned crowd gathered at Thursday's meeting to throw their support behind the resumption of operations at the campgrounds.

Jan O'Connor said she first stayed there in 1945 and can only remember one time since then when it flooded - in 2018.

She said it didn't flood during Cyclone Gabrielle but remembered the landslides that damaged many Piha homes.

"As someone who has spent many years at Piha, we don't worry about earthquakes but we're very earthquake prone ... so why the heck are we worrying about floods?" she said.

Campground operator Fiona Anderson said she had been a careful and responsible operator for more than 20 years.

"I do not hesitate to close the booking system, refund and send people home if I believe the weather warrants it," she said.

"There are five weather checks made at minimum of twice daily. My crew are all rigorously trained for any emergency that may occur. I do not put profit before the people."