Bid to move river away from town
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
An application has been lodged to divert the Waiho (Waiau) River at Franz Josef as part of the stalled $12.5 million north bank flood protection scheme.
The West Coast Regional Council is applying to itself for the temporary diversion of the river from below the State Highway 6 bridge to the glacial moraine, where the Waiho and Tatare riverbeds converge.
“The proposed diversion is to allow gravel extraction, and stopbank construction ... in dry riverbed and to prevent any potential scour of temporary works during the construction phase,” consultant Davis Ogilvie says on behalf of the council.
The applications relate to two separate flood protection works under the stage one north bank scheme: the Franz Josef stopbank and the Tatare River stopbank.
The application notes that the Waiho riverbed has been aggrading at 18cm a year in recent decades.
Flood protection improvement was deemed a priority following the 2016 flood causing after it caused $30m of damage. In March 2019 the state highway bridge was swept away following 400mm of rain was also a factor.
“A $24m package was approved by the Government in July 2020, as part of the Covid-19 economic stimulus package. The work included $18m for rock embankments on the north and south banks, and $3.8m to raise the level of the highway bridge.”
The regional council let a contract to Greymouth contractor MBD for the north bank work nearly a year ago.
The proposed river diversion is from the bridge down past the township and beyond the Westland District Council's wastewater treatment plant.
Temporary diversion of water for up to two years within the bed of the Waiho River is also sought.
The main project is currently stalled after the regional council failed to get affected party approval from the Scenic Circle Hotel Group.
In the latest application the three affected parties identified are the Department of Conservation (DOC), Fish and Game, and Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio.
DOC had already responded it had no concerns apart from the unprotected bank on the south side of the river below Canavans Knob.
DOC said the unprotected bank below Canavans had been “a real safety issue” for property and life in a number of recent floods.
“If the river is trained away from the north — then the probability of it being more likely to impact this bank is increased.”
The department said it would like to see armouring put in place and the Canavans stopbank upgraded significantly to mitigate the risk prior to the river diversion/training.
“This isn't so much a conservation concern as a community and Civil Defence issue,” DOC said.
Davis Ogilvie notes consent for the north bank scheme was independently lodged on March 3 last year and was currently on hold.
Likewise, an application for gravel extraction associated with the stopbanks construction had been independently lodged last month but was also on hold.
Consent to disturb the bed and banks of the Waiho River to the Tatare stopbank was granted in October 2022 along with a discharge consent for incidental sediment into the Waiho River from the Tatare stopbank construction.
Land use consent had already been sought to raise all existing flood protection banks on the north side by 2m, along with consent to extract gravel from the dry riverbed for raising the existing stopbanks and extending them.
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A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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