‘Who is in and who is out?’: Tensions over Westport flood scheme
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Nearly three years after a devastating flood displaced hundreds of residents in Westport, they have been told a solution is near.
But at the Westport Rating District Joint Committee annual meeting, held in public for the first time on Wednesday, residents called for more transparency and raised fears the town remains as vulnerable to the next big flood.
The committee is charged with making recommendations to the West Coast Regional Council on the build and future maintenance of the ring bank flood protection scheme for the West Coast town.
Phil Rutherford, a former Buller District councillor, said greater clarity was also needed in the map of the proposed scheme for residents needing to know "who is in and who is out", he said.
Later in the meeting chief engineer for the scheme, Peter Blackwood, said mitigation options for two areas currently excluded under the scheme - Snodgrass Rd and Carters Beach - have yet to come.
Lifelong Westport resident Kevin Smith recalled the 1970 Westport flood, but "the talk" of the last 54 years had not translated to action by the authorities until the July 2021 event.
And the 2021 and 2022 floods "were no bigger" than previous 'record' floods, stretching back more than 70 years, Smith said.
"What was different was the amount of damage," he said.
Westport's inland flood defences on the Buller and Orowaiti rivers at Organs Island had served their purpose in 1950.
But since then, Westport had expanded in a way that heightened risk to people, he said.
"The 1950 flood, everything worked very well. It was a bigger flood than what we have just endured. Why aren't we learning?
"I think we should have a report on what caused the damage. The damage was man-made. What we have done is built in silly places."
Smith said the community needed to work through the flooding damage and the causes.
For now, Westport remained as vulnerable as it was in the July 2021 floods, he said.
"There is a flood coming: will we get the walls built in time? That's up to you people."
Councillor Brett Cummings said repair work had already been done on the historic flood defences, just east of Westport, to help with the next flood.
And councillor Frank Dooley defended council's expert approach to solve the problem, which it was required to do by statute, "not based on community opinion but on expert opinion".
Snodgrass Rd resident Paul Reynold, a trenchant critic at the way Westport's inland flood defences and the Orowaiti overflow had been left to deteriorate, suggested councils approach was "anything but expert".
The regional and the Buller District councils "had a hand in causing the flood".
"We've had three years of charade around avoiding the cause," Reynolds said.
"There has been no effort to define the cause of the 2021 flood - no problem can be solved without first identifying what caused the problem."
Reynolds said the underlying issues were identified and presented to both councils in 2015.
"Council already had a document by 2021 warning of the risk.
"It was ignored for six years … in the filing draw of council."
He suggested the current scheme, including flood defence walls, was not the best option.
"The walls will eventually burst in the event of a major flood - with the loss of life."
Regional council chief executive Darryl Lew said the Government's $22.9m contribution, announced a year ago, had now come through after a technical review found its scheme "was sound".
The money - in reality $15.6m for physical flood protection works - was now being drawn down and should be built by 2027.
He said the benefit classes for properties falling within the scheme will soon be be formally identified as the design is finalised.
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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22.3% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
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Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
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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