‘Bloody panic’: Westport fed up with enduring threat

The town of Westport on the South Islands West Coast was completely flooded with many residents left without homes in July 2021. Photo / George Heard

By Brendon McMahon, Local Democracy Reporter

Cabinet has still not seen the business case for a $56 million flood protection scheme for Westport.

The town has just endured another storm watch in the past 24 hours — leaving residents again on tenterhooks and spurring “bloody panic”.

Snodgrass Rd resident Paul Reynolds said people were still struggling in the aftermath of the 2021 flood, which left a $100 million trail of destruction in its wake.

“We can’t get on with life because we’ve got a $100 million threat every time we’ve got heavy rain,” Reynolds said yesterday.

West Coast Regional Council chief executive Heather Mabin told councillors yesterday the Department of Internal Affairs had advised there had been a delay in getting the business case to Cabinet.

“It was meant to be considered this week,” she said.

The full proposal was submitted to the Government in June. It proposes co-funding with the regional council for a range of protection works for the town.

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta asked for the proposal in February, stipulating it must include resilience, climate change adaptation and retreat options.

Mabin was in Wellington yesterday to meet officials.

Associate Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty told the Greymouth Star the Westport case was “under active consideration”.

Regional council chairman Allan Birchfield said Westport just needed an answer, as the town was repeatedly weighed down by the next flood threat.

“Every time we get these flood events, as we have just had, there’s bloody panic at Westport.

“Really, [the Government] need to get on with it. The people up there can’t live like this — a constant state of emergency every time it rains.”

The Government had committed to the nearly rebuilt $12 million Buller Health complex, in a part of Westport that was projected to be under water in future, he said.

Other government-owned assets such as the state highway network and the rail connection had to be protected.

“Apparently there’s $1 billion of [Crown] assets there, so really they need to spend the money instead of putting it on the ratepayer.”