Waitakere deputy mayor Penny Hulse says it's bad timing, rather than bad management by the council, that's responsible for a flood in the suburb of Swanson in West Auckland.
Heavy rainfall and a blocked culvert have flooded part of Tram Valley Road, forming a small lake, and cutting off 25 houses.
Some residents say the council should have fixed the broken culvert earlier, well before the winter and heavy rain.
But Ms Hulse says the council has been working on the problem for the last month.
The council says the road is now cleared.
