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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Waiho Flat dairy farms at Franz Josef "dodged a bullet" after flooding on Monday again threatened a historic rubbish dump.
The Waiho (Waiau) River floodwaters appeared to threaten the stopbank that protects the buried dump, just below … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Waiho Flat dairy farms at Franz Josef "dodged a bullet" after flooding on Monday again threatened a historic rubbish dump.
The Waiho (Waiau) River floodwaters appeared to threaten the stopbank that protects the buried dump, just below Canavans Knob, but then turned away, Waiho Flat farmer of 50 years Richard Molloy said.
Nerves were jangled on Monday when the rapidly rising river looked to be on the verge of breaking through - as it almost did last year.
During a 70mm downpour in about 90 minutes, the raging river shifted course straight towards the bank.
"We were only a hair's breadth away from the same situation," Molloy said.
It was only averted by chance - "it's nothing to do with proactiveness".
West Coast Regional Council acting infrastructure manager Colin Munn said he was made aware of concerns last Friday and the council arranged for a local contractor to inspect the stopbank.
"He thought it was fine ... I guess it's a matter of judgment."
Engineering staff were again visiting the site today, Munn said.
Further north at Harihari, Wanganui River farmers mopping up from their second flood in a fortnight were again critical of the regional council's role in the delay in repairing the impaired stopbank.
Work to divert the river started last Thursday but heavy rain that night saw the river break out above the new diversion, and thwarted the short term repair.
"What our aim has been is to get some rock to the site to ensure we don't lose any more of that stopbank," Munn said.
Rock cartage began on Friday and restarted on Sunday, but contractors "got chased out" by the rising river levels.
"It's an interesting place to be in terms of the ability of schemes to withstand all these events repeatedly, and people's expectations that you can fix it overnight."
He said the council just needed some breathing space.
"The best thing for me is if someone turns the tap off."
Riverbeds constricted for a long time by flood protection banks were continuing to aggrade with gravel build-up, Munn said.
Discussions about the broader issues facing the Wanganui River scheme were ongoing, but the council had to balance the immediate risk for affected residents.
"The factors have changed around it and it's making it more challenging to manage the status quo, but at the moment we're just trying to make sure we get control of it."
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council intends to add automatic rain monitoring equipment on the Wanganui River near Harihari after a series of damaging floods.
The fallout over a flood that swamped two dairy farms 12 days ago, was hot at the council … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council intends to add automatic rain monitoring equipment on the Wanganui River near Harihari after a series of damaging floods.
The fallout over a flood that swamped two dairy farms 12 days ago, was hot at the council meeting last week.
That was because the council had had a month of dry weather and low river flows to repair a hole in the northern bank protection scheme that was blown out in the previous flood, at Waitangi Weekend.
Councillors were briefed in-committee on a new protection plan for the Wanganui River last week, with a scheme to be presented at the rating district AGM next month.
Meanwhile, during the last flood the council was relying on hydrological data it receives from a site inland from Whataroa, about 35km to the south of Hari Hari, to anticipate and monitor river flows in the Wanganui.
The council currently does not have monitoring equipment on the Wanganui River.
Hydrology and engineering staff travel from Greymouth to watch it in an extreme rain storm - as they do for the Waiho (Waiau) at Franz Josef and other large rivers throughout the West Coast.
Council chief executive Heather Mabin said work for new river monitoring sites was ongoing and it was currently formulating "a wish list" but that would depend on funding.
The overnight heavy spell of rain in the Wanganui River headwaters 12 days ago sent "a half-flood" down the river, widening and doubling a 100m hole in the protection bank on the true right that had opened up in early February.
Wanganui Rating District spokesperson and councillor Andy Campbell, one of two affected farmers on the true right of the Wanganui, reported 90mm of rain the night of the flood.
He told the meeting he believed most of the rain that swelled the river was "backcountry heavy rain".
The rain monitor site further south and inland of Whataroa had about 130mm.
Mabin said she understood a new gauge on the Wanganui might be a Civil Defence initiative but the council was also working on a plan to expand its hydrological monitoring work.
Following the meeting Mabin said the Wanganui was "at the top of the list".
It was part of work council began when it put in for about $200,000 of 'shovel ready' Government money for new Buller River monitoring and associated preliminary work around the flood defences for Westport township.
"It's actually a piece of work we've already started."
She was unsure of the history of monitoring at the Wanganui and the previous decision making around installing equipment there. However, she had asked the relevant council departments to look at potential costs from within the current budgets to broaden the work.
River monitoring data was "a key piece of information" not only for the council but the affected communities.
She noted the Wanganui River was a strong case but she would not be drawn on other potential sites.
At this stage the cost per site was yet to emerge but aside from the equipment, having safe access to particular sites was likely to be a significant factor. This included vehicle or walking track access and the practical logistics of physically getting down to particular monitoring sites, Mabin said.
"Often, what I'm hearing, it's the access ways."
Another significant factor was having the connectivity to relay information back from the sites - a significant challenge with no cellphone coverage to remote sites on the West Coast.
"The cellphone coverage is key unless we can tap into some other system."
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This outlines what Christchurch City Council plans to spend on projects and day-to-day services in the next year and how we'll pay for it.
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council hired a helicopter to check the forest slash following a cloudburst in December.
The localised 'cloudburst' in the Grey Valley on December 19 sent a wall of logs down Callaghans Creek at Matai, washing … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council hired a helicopter to check the forest slash following a cloudburst in December.
The localised 'cloudburst' in the Grey Valley on December 19 sent a wall of logs down Callaghans Creek at Matai, washing out an approach to a rail bridge on the Stillwater-Westport rail link and closing the line for days.
Councillor Peter Ewen raised the matter at a council meeting this week, in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said that following their investigation into the Matai incident, the council decided that forestry slash "wasn't the total story".
The West Coast experience was that forestry slash was not a particular problem, the meeting heard.
"It is not to the scale here on the Coast that it is there. Certainly what's in the rules allows (foresters) to do what they do with the slash, but that's something going forward that everybody has to reach an agreement as to how the best way to handle it is."
Clark noted there was a requirement which meant "a certain proportion" of cutover material had to be left on the ground after felling to protect the slopes from eroding.
"That's why they do it. There's no doubt there needs to be better ways to (manage) it in the future, but they're not currently doing anything they're not supposed to do."
Following the meeting, Clark said at the time of the Matai incident, the council sent compliance staff up in a helicopter to check the creek catchment above where the damage to the rail corridor occurred.
While they observed "a small amount" of exotic plantation slash, the majority of the contributing problem at Matai was from fallen indigenous trees, following slips in the area as a result of the localised 'cloudburst'.
In her 18 years in the council compliance team, the issue of plantation forest slash had not been remarkable, however that was not to say it would be increasingly evident.
"It's not something that ever comes up as a major problem ... for us it hasn't been what it's like in the North Island. I haven't had too many inquiries."
At this point the regional council did not have a specific rule addressing forest slash, but it could never rule that out.
Forestry operators also had to work to resource consent conditions which were monitored by the council.
The fact some West Coast stream catchments are at a critical erosion point due to the loss of indigenous vegetation killed off by Cyclone Ita eight years ago, is on council's radar.
A case study by council engineer Paulette Birchfield on river and slope stability in the catchment of Lake Stream, a tributary of Mount Rochfort behind Westport, and on hillsides above Barrytown, was presented to the council nearly a year ago.
Her investigation showed the slopes in those locations, and others, were at "a threshold condition" and at a point of "mass movement", ranging from 'soil creep' to landslides.
The effects were being monitored at various sites and becoming critical.
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Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are striking this week as they look for a pay offer that meets inflation at 7.2% and makes concessions around staffing issues - in particular, student to teacher ratios.
A ratio of 1 teacher for 23 students applies for year 11 students, however … View morePrimary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are striking this week as they look for a pay offer that meets inflation at 7.2% and makes concessions around staffing issues - in particular, student to teacher ratios.
A ratio of 1 teacher for 23 students applies for year 11 students, however support staff can be counted as teachers so the reality is that class sizes can be much higher.
What do you think are the ideal sizes for classrooms?
Type NFP alongside your comments if you don't wish these to be shared in the We Say You Say column of the local paper.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
As pressure mounts on the Government's purse strings in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, the West Coast Regional Council is pushing the case for a further $23 million of flood protection.
However, the council's Infrastructure Governance … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
As pressure mounts on the Government's purse strings in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, the West Coast Regional Council is pushing the case for a further $23 million of flood protection.
However, the council's Infrastructure Governance Committee heard on Tuesday the North Island experience now strengthened the case for co-funding to protect communities from climate-driven events.
Chief executive Heather Mabin noted in a report, a national initiative had already been tabled with the Government for immediate and ongoing investment in flood protection in the regions.
In response to Cyclone Gabrielle, Te Uru Kahika which represents regional and unitary councils, sent a memorandum to Kanoa, the infrastructure division of MBIE setting out the case for co-investment.
It endorsed the regional councils' request for funding for the 2024 year, including on the West Coast.
This was for:
* $4m Cobden seawall, in 2024;
* $2m Hokitika River stopbanks, in 2024;
* $7m Wanganui River scheme, in 2024-25;
* $10m stage two of the Waiho (Waiau) River scheme, in 2024.
Infrastructure Governance Committee chairperson Frank Dooley said the council had been undertaking an "enormous" amount of activity already around infrastructure, including for a Westport scheme.
It had been struggling with capacity, as had been seen with the delay to fix the breach in the Wanganui River northern stopbank. As a result, farmland had flooded last week and there were "lessons to be learned".
"On the face of it we didn't act with the urgency that was required."
At the same time, the council was ready a month ahead of time with its own $10.2m flood protection scheme for Westport, outside what the Government may decide around co-funding the larger $56m proposal.
"That creates some momentum," he said.
Dooley paid tribute to chief executive Heather Mabin for her work on that, "on behalf of the people of Buller".
He also noted from the Te Uru Kahika reports, "that there is a requirement for co-funded adaptation to climate change".
Mabin said the reports showed the impetus for co-investment "has not gone away as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle".
It was also vital to demonstrate to the community the council was still working to reinforce the co-funding argument.
Dooley referred to the Canterbury earthquakes and the implementation of red zones, with future implications for the Coast.
"From the point of view of our communities, some are going to be faced with red zoning."
However, budget day in May would the important indicator for the West Coast.
"Once it's delivered and there is a platform for co-funding we can move a hell of a lot quicker," Dooley said.
Councillor Peter Haddock said the regional council was "ahead of the game" and well prepared in light of the natural events it had dealt with, and a lot of ground work done now for new protection investment.
"It's lucky this council has invested in that professional knowledge."
Dooley said if the council were to get co-funding for the four projects outlined in the report, "then we're going to be pretty busy" in the next few years.
Haddock also noted a call in recent times to "re-wild" rivers and to retreat communities, but he said that was not possible in some communities.
Westport was a good example and if retreat were the option then it would have to be an "intergenerational" shift given the capital values involved.
The Greymouth protection scheme 30 years ago was a good example of enabling community confidence, with new development now happening on the back of planned improvements to the existing floodwall scheme.
Dooley said a recent Sunday television programme on Westport adaptation had portrayed an "outdated and sad" view which was not realistic.
"It's a nonsense."
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The Hokitika River stopbank behind Westland Milk Products has been repaired due to the flooding risk after work for a new Westland District Council stormwater outfall.
The work off Town Belt East was completed last week after the West Coast … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The Hokitika River stopbank behind Westland Milk Products has been repaired due to the flooding risk after work for a new Westland District Council stormwater outfall.
The work off Town Belt East was completed last week after the West Coast Regional Council asked for urgent remediation.
Regional council acting chairperson Peter Haddock said earlier this month the top of the bank was a worry due to work on the new stormwater outfall, and the river had already come within 400mm of topping the bank at that point in a flood, Haddock said.
The district council had since topped up the stopbank, he said.
"The council have requested the Westland District Council, who put the stormwater pipe through, to raise the level up to the existing level and that has been done."
The top of the wall on the old Kaniere Tram route had been "actually lower than it was originally" after the local stormwater work.
"It was a low spot."
The regional council was also concerned the rockwork installed around the new outfall pipes needed to be of a better standard, he said.
Westland was now looking into that and should be undertaking an improvement soon.
Meanwhile, the regional council meeting today was expected to discuss the wider plan to raise and strengthen the stopbank from the Hokitika Bridge up to the dairy factory.
Volumes and material available were currently being quantified ahead of a tender process.
"It's been given urgency," Haddock said.
In a letter to the Greymouth Star, veteran West Coast farmer Paul Berry has again called for action to ensure the riverbank upstream of the dairy factory is strengthened.
Berry said the issue was noted five months ago.
While the existing 400m of stopbank at the factory was rocked, a further 450m immediately upstream was "totally unprotected" with no rock armouring.
This was made worse by the bank being on an outside curve and was "very concerning".
Berry said he was alarmed to see the debate between the two councils about armouring the new stormwater culvert area.
"It seemed to me another Waiho event not if but when."
But of greater concern was that, as of last week, it could be two-and-a-half months before the existing 400m of stopbank and rock upgrade of dairy factory stopbank was put to tender by the regional council.
"In my opinion the upstream 450m needs immediate attention and protection not months away -- tomorrow would not be too soon," Berry said.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Westport is an example of a 'bottom of the cliff' approach to disaster response and recovery, according to a new report.
Te Uru Kahika, representing the country's regional and unitary council sector, is advocating the Government … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Westport is an example of a 'bottom of the cliff' approach to disaster response and recovery, according to a new report.
Te Uru Kahika, representing the country's regional and unitary council sector, is advocating the Government co-invest in a whole range of projects to reduce flood risk to communities.
As Westport waits with bated breath for an answer on the $56 million proposed flood scheme, Te Uru Kahika says it is not clear how the Government intends to address the case.
"Te Uru Kahika members remain totally supportive of the West Coast councils' request for Government co-investment of $45m," the report says.
The business case was lodged last June following a request in February 2022 from then Local Government Minister Nania Mahuta for a co-investment proposal.
Te Uru Kahika describes the Westport case as "a fair cost share".
It asked that it considered together with a broader scheme, which would require the Government to put up $257m to accelerate 92 proposed flood schemes across the country.
"There is an overwhelming national interest in Government assisting to resolve Aotearoa's flood protection challenge."
It suggests the Government partner with the sector by:
-Firstly, committing $257m in the 2023 budget alongside regional council co-investment to collaborate on delivery of a three-year programme of 92 "carefully selected" flood protection projects worth a total of $428m;
-Committing to a long term "collaborative, multi-tool, and well funded" co-investment approach to build resilience against flood risks.
The report said Westport was "a regretful example" of a bottom of the cliff response and recovery, as opposed to the other scheme proposals captured under the $257m co-investment request.
It says floods are New Zealand's No 1 natural hazard and are escalating, consistent with international trends.
The regional and unitary council sector already invested about $200m a year to sustain and improve flood infrastructure. But that investment, with other flood mitigation measures undertaken by councils, could not on their own provide the security and risk mitigation/community resilience now expected of flood schemes.
Increased co-investment alongside broader measures would be required to meet the challenge.
"A step change is required. Measured urgency is needed to adapt existing flood protection measures to be fit to meet present and future risk management expectations. It is clearly in the
national interest that these adaptations occur."
Increased Government and council co-investment was required, and accelerating climate-induced high magnitude floods meant that "now is the time for action".
Te Uru Kahika said it had been attempting to push the case for Government co-investment in flood protection schemes since at least
2018.
"Our efforts have been well received but we are yet to secure the longer-term decisions, co-investment funding and partnership certainty."
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council is taking formal steps to remove Allan Birchfield as chairperson.
In a public notice to be published on Wednesday, the chief executive has called an extraordinary meeting for March 28 "to make decisions on the… View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council is taking formal steps to remove Allan Birchfield as chairperson.
In a public notice to be published on Wednesday, the chief executive has called an extraordinary meeting for March 28 "to make decisions on the removal" of Birchfield from the chair.
Unlike the mayoralties, the regional council chair's role is internally elected from within the seven-member council.
It's understood a letter requesting the meeting was signed by all six other councillors and was lodged with the chief executive in the first week of March.
Birchfield was caught out by the news.
"I wasn't made aware. Someone probably should have told me that that's what they were going to do... we'll see how it unfolds," he said on Tuesday.
However, he noted there would have to be four signatures for the process to remove him as chairman.
"They will have to go through the formal process."
Birchfield indicated he at this stage had no intention of resigning: "If they want me to go they will have to follow the proper process".
He preferred not to comment on whether he was disappointed.
"I'd be interested to know who the signatures are," he said.
Acting chairperson Peter Haddock declined to comment on whether intended to stand for the role full-time.
However, as the meeting opened he did lodge an apology for Birchfield's ongoing absence.
Mabin said she received a formal request to start the process on March 2.
"I got a formal request so I'm now going through the process... I now have to action it within 14 days. There is a formal motion."
If that was ratified on March 28 then council would make a formal decision on the election of a new chairman, including a protocol for that, before an internal election, Mabin said.
This comes after Birchfield went on leave in December for three months, which both he and Haddock maintained was due to his health.
However, his leave of absence immediately followed a tumultuous period at the council with the relationship between council's business unit VCS and Birchfield's Minerals Ltd again under scrutiny in relation to the sale and consenting of the mothballed Grey Valley gold dredge.
At the same time -- on the day the new council was sworn in after the October local body elections and Birchfield was re-elected as chairman -- Mabin indicated her intention to resign.
His two main opponents from the previous triennium, previous Westland councillors Stuart Challenger and Debra Magner, both lost their seats at the election and the new council -- on paper -- appeared to consolidate Birchfield's strength after a previous effort to roll him was thwarted last year.
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