Westport $56 million flood proposal whittled by half in government announcement

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins makes the government co-funded package announcement on the bank of the Buller River at Westport on Friday morning, with acting West Coast Regional Council chairman Brett Cummings, left, Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine and West Coast Tasman MP Damien O'Connor. Photo: Greymouth Star / Brendon McMahon

A $56 million proposal to improve Westport's flood protection has been whittled in half with a $22.9m announcement by the government today.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was in Westport to announce the 'support' package for the area which points towards future relocation of the town, and restricting building in some areas, as well as some structural flood protection.

It includes the option of investigating a move to the opposite side of the Buller River on to the high terrace in the vicinity of Alma Road.

A full 75/25 percent split co-funded proposal - regarded as a test case for co-funded protection options for flood-ravaged communities - was put forward in February last year by the West Coast Regional Council and Buller District Council.

The $56m proposal known as the 'Kawatiri Business Case' was finally presented to the government last July. It included a full ring bank option for Westport and Carters Beach, but left out the northern Snodgrass Road area by the Orowaiti River.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is formally welcomed to Westport by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae prior to the flood resilience announcement on Friday. Photo: Greymouth Star / Brendon McMahon

Today's $22.9m announcement was timed with the May Budget and ahead of announcements the government plans to make around resilience for communities mopping up after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Specifically, the money will offer "structural flood protection" and will be directed towards avoiding future flood risk by strengthening protection works.

Hipkins made direct reference to this as he stood on the bank of the Buller River this morning, pointing out that it will include helping with options such as raising floor heights.

One heckler in the crowd said that was all very well, however the costs for property owners of requiring that were already exorbitant.

Hipkins said it would be up to the councils to work those matters through, using the funding from the government.

"It's really important that we as a government work alongside local communities in making decisions on how this evolves."

But the government was conscious of the need to get on with things.

"We know that reassurance is certainly as important for communities."

The July 2021 flood inundated almost a quarter of all homes in Westport and forced more than 2000 people to evacuate.

Hipkins said the funding had both an immediate and longer-term focus.

"It will help with design and delivery of flood protection, such as stopbanks, and support people to protect their homes with property and community level resilience measures."

Snodgrass Road resident Paul Reynolds was cynical of the announcement, including those directly affected by the package, who he said had not been properly consulted as required under the Local Government Act.

"All the people involved (in the announcement) are the people that caused the problem," Reynolds said.

This included the numerous warnings of locals over decades to both councils about the need to deal with the flooding risk, which then swept down the Orowaiti River in July 2021.

Westport resident Lorraine Hartigan - who has had to move nine times since July 2021 and last December after losing her house - said it was time for the authorities to sort out the mess.

"Hopefully we can get something sorted because there seems to be infighting within the West Coast Regional Council and nothing gets done."

She believed Buller had done its best and Westport's problem was now "in the hands of the politicians" but it needed certainty.

Referring to the silting up of the lower Buller River since the 1968 Inangahua earthquake, and repeated warnings by the older generation, it had taken a disaster for something to be addressed, Hartigan said.

"Sometimes I don't think they listen to the older people that have been here ... listen to the older people - they know."

Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air