Consent application for Hokitika beach access rejected
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Application for consent to build new beach access to the Hokitika beachfront has been rejected by the West Coast Regional Council at this stage.
And the dispute over a $90,000 claim the Westland District Council believes it has with the regional council to contribute to the access project has not been settled.
The proposal to improve access over the rock seawall off the end of Weld Lane was put forward in the Westland District Council's 2020-21 annual plan.
But it has been bogged down after the regional council baulked at a $90,000 invoice it received from the Westland council for its 'share'.
Westland's chief executive Simon Bastion told his council in December the bill was still under discussion.
Westland's district assets group manager Scott Baxendale said this week there was still no start date for the work, after the council had earlier indicated it would be under way by now.
However, they would soon be engaging with the regional council as consent holders for the wall.
"We are still working through the consenting requirements regarding the beach access," Baxendale said.
The district council was commissioning a project manager to move the project on, including gaining the appropriate consents.
Meanwhile, the disputed invoice was "not resolved", he said.
Regional council acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said the Westland council had lodged a consent application late last year relating to ramp access at the beach.
But it had been rejected by the regional council's consultant due to a lack of supporting information with the application.
Clark said they had not received anything further yet from Westland.
Chief executive Heather Mabin said Westland had still been "unable to produce evidence" that the regional council had agreed to partially fund the district council's beach access project.
A forensic search by the regional council of files for any evidence of an agreement about the $90,000 had turned up nought last year.
"[Westland chief executive] Simon Bastion has been unable to produce any evidence or any agreement," she said.
"I have let Simon know we will not be paying an invoice for $90,000."
Mabin said it would simply be "not prudent" to cough up, noting that the Westland bill equated to a $4.50 cost per rating unit, "to build a beach access we haven't officially agreed to".
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Poll: Do you think banning gang patches is reasonable?
With the government cracking down on gangs, it is now illegal for gang members to display their insignia in public places whether through clothing or their property.
This means arrests can be made if these patches are worn in places like restaurants, shops, on public transport or ferries, and on airplanes. Arrests were made recently at a funeral.
Do you think this ban is reasonable?
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76.3% Yes
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22.4% No
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1.3% Other - I'll share below
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West Coast council accepts Franz Josef loan offer
By local democracy reporter Lois Williams:
The West Coast Regional Council has voted to take up the government’s offer to co-fund a second round of flood protection at Franz Josef.
The decision follows a fractious meeting in the tourist town on Wednesday night, with local ratepayers agonising over how to pay for the work, and insisting they authorise what the council builds and spends.
Scientists and engineers have warned the community is at high to critical risk from the wild Waiho (Waiau) River unless urgent work is done to top up and rebuild damaged stopbanks, as a stop gap measure.
At a brief extraordinary Council meeting in Greymouth on Friday, chairperson Peter Haddock moved the council accept the offer of funding, up to a value of $7.9 million.
The government’s original offer was for $10m, as a 60/40 split: a grant of $6m and a loan of $4m to Waiho ratepayers.
But that included the cost of strengthening the massive flood banks built to protect State Highway 6, and the council excluded that component after Franz Josef objected to funding a Crown asset.
The council vote to accept the funding was all but unanimous: rebel councillor Allan Birchfield was the sole dissenting voice, saying he had no confidence in the council to honestly and fairly administer the money, and the council was not trusted by the community.
“And I don’t have the confidence in you, Peter - so I’m voting against it.”
Haddock said the criticism was unfair.
He said he had been to five meetings with Franz Josef ratepayers to try to rebuild trust and apologise to them for the way they were treated by the council previously, when Birchfield was the chairperson.
“The previous council had no meetings with them for over five years, very poor financial paperwork … I’ve been through the minutes and I see you don’t appear in most of them, the previous money was lost back to the government and I’m afraid that lies with you Allan [Birchfield].”
Councillor Brett Cummings, who was a member of the Waiho ratepayers joint committee, reminded Birchfield that only two people at the Franz Josef meeting had opposed accepting the funding and loan.
“I feel quite confident, Allan, that the community group down there has quite a lot of control on how and where the money’s being spent - their money.”
Councillor Peter Ewen said he wanted to acknowledge the Franz Josef community, and the angst it had gone through over the decision.
“I agree with them over not taking the $10 million ... [but] this is ensuring the Insurance Council does not walk away from the situation. We are helping ourselves, and I’m sure the council with its best endeavours and professional river staff will adhere to the wishes of the community down there.”
If nature played its part, the Franz Josef community would now gain the time to come up with a final plan for its future, which was the purpose of the funding, Ewen said.
Birchfield asked engineer Scott Hoare why it was planning to tear down and rebuild the Milton stopbank on the sourh side, saying he had been there when it was built and it was well “found”.
Hoare said the bank would not be torn down, but was slumping in places and the rocks would be taken out and restacked.
Councillor Frank Dooley said he had every confidence in Haddock as council chairperson.
“I really appreciate the work you’ve done to bring this organisation to the position it’s now in ... the West Coast community can only benefit through your leadership.”
The regional council had until Monday to tell the government if it would accept the funding for Franz Josef and that would now happen, Haddock said after the meeting.
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