Experts warn Franz Josef faces catastrophic flood risk from Waiho River

Wednesday 21 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated Thu 22 Oct, 4:00am

In this story West Coast Regional Council

A group of river scientists is urging the West Coast Regional Council to implement a 10-year management plan for the Waiho River. The river is changing course faster than anticipated, creating a risk that major floods could overwhelm stopbanks. The council held a community briefing on Wednesday regarding changes to the river management strategy.

How they headlined it

First reported by RNZ, Wed 21 Oct, 2:49pm · 2 reports from 2 outlets over 13 hours

RNZWed 21 Oct, 2:49pm

Flood risk meeting called at Franz Josef Glacier (opens in new tab)
The PressThu 22 Oct, 4:00am

‘We are manufacturing disasters’: Franz Josef warned to act before flood risk becomes ‘catastrophic’ (opens in new tab)