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Story: Floods

Stopbanks

Image
A river in flood beside a city suburb.

The stopbank at the Fitzroy bend of the Manawatū River runs below the road along the water’s edge. It provides protection for the lower-lying parts of Palmerston North. Built at a cost of over $7 million, it successfully withheld flood waters in 2004, proving to be a good investment by minimising damage in the city.

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How to cite this page

Eileen McSaveney, Floods – Flood control, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4902/stopbanks (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 February 2024.