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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The sinking of the ex-fishing trawler Grace yesterday and any associated risk of fuel spill was not notified to the West Coast Regional Council today.
The fishing boat sank at its moorings at the Greymouth Fisherman's Wharf, on the Blaketown… View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The sinking of the ex-fishing trawler Grace yesterday and any associated risk of fuel spill was not notified to the West Coast Regional Council today.
The fishing boat sank at its moorings at the Greymouth Fisherman's Wharf, on the Blaketown Lagoon, yesterday.
Acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said the first they knew of the sinking was when they were contacted by the media.
Port of Greymouth manager Franco Horridge was in Christchurch today.
Clark said the council would usually be alerted by the port management of any sinking so they could dispatch environmental monitoring staff to assess any risk.
"Fuel would be a concern. Generally the harbour, if it was only a small spill, would deal with it."
Owner David Coakley told the Greymouth Star today that he learned of the boat's watery fate last evening, and was today waiting for low tide to begin the retrieval.
That would involve straightening it, fixing the holes in the vessel and pumping it out.
Coakley has owned the Grace since 1989.
"It's fished out of a lot of ports in the South Island," he said.
At 1pm the regional council said staff visiting the site, about midday, found "no major spill".
"A precautionary containment boom has been deployed around the vessel and will be maintained until it is salvaged," Clark said.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.
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From Brendon McMahon, local democracy reporter:
West Coast leaders say planned flood protection schemes at Westport and Franz Josef will not lose out, despite the Government reprioritising spending in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle in the North Island.
West Coast-Tasman MP Damien … View moreFrom Brendon McMahon, local democracy reporter:
West Coast leaders say planned flood protection schemes at Westport and Franz Josef will not lose out, despite the Government reprioritising spending in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle in the North Island.
West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O'Connor said the two projects were "still on track" for the Government to come to the party.
The scale of the North Island event did not lessen the need for proposed $56 million co-funded Westport scheme or the $24 million Waiho (Waiau) River scheme, he said.
However, the Government was being careful to ensure the best value for money.
"We have just got to make sure [the West Coast schemes] are long-term solutions. Nothing can be guaranteed in today's world or bigger events," O'Connor said.
"We've got to have reasonably good idea that the spend is a good spend.
"When mud is to the roof of houses and infrastructure is totally destroyed is pretty confronting, nonetheless flooding on the Waiho has had impact."
Cyclone Gabrielle had simply reinforced the need for better community resilience and local authorities needed to take their role in that seriously, he said.
West Coast Regional Council acting chairperson Peter Haddock acknowledged the Government would have to reprioritise after the cyclone.
"I would hope they would reprioritise other spending towards resilience. I believe it reinforces our case - we need to spend to protect," he said.
"On the other side, if you want to look at moving Westport (township), the cost is phenomenal."
The Westport business case would be cheaper than moving the town or another flood in the short term.
Haddock said it looked like the greatest damage in the cyclone had been where protection banks were not been fit for purpose.
"It just reinforces the fact that we need to continue to have these protection schemes," he said.
"I would hope that the Government will prioritise the protection of land behind vulnerable areas.
"I know they're going to be short of money ... however the cost is only going to rise."
Buller mayor Jamie Cliene argued Cyclone Gabrielle would only reinforce Westport's case, which was mooted by the Government as the pilot for co-funded solutions elsewhere.
While an intergenerational approach to ensure the viability of large town like Westport was needed, the cost of "another flood tomorrow" had to be weighed including the risk of insurance companies walking away, he said.
"In my view I don't think it harms our case. If anything it legitimises the need for this community, and [those] in the North Island, to have to step through the process that Buller has done."
The Government might also now take a harder line on the Westport case now and say "it doesn't go far enough".
"I wouldn't think the Government would walk away from communities," Cleine said.
* Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council's annual for 2021-22 shows a deficit of $1.1 million.
The council collected $8.16m in rates, while total revenue was just over $17.7m.
The report period covers a rocky time at the council, marked by … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council's annual for 2021-22 shows a deficit of $1.1 million.
The council collected $8.16m in rates, while total revenue was just over $17.7m.
The report period covers a rocky time at the council, marked by ructions between governance and management through much of 2021.
In the end it saw the exit of short-time chief executive Vin Smith and the transition to current chief exeuctive Heather Mabin. At the same time, natural disasters occurred including the July 2021 Westport flood, with increased call for new flood infrastructure.
It has also had to finalise the new combined Te Tai o Poutini Plan, and accommodate a raft of legislative changes and submissions.
The annual report notes the yet to be resolved $30m claim against the council by the Scenic Circle Hotel Group relating to the March 2016 Waiho (Waiau) River flood which swept through the former Mueller Wing, just north of Franz Josef Glacier township.
The council paid its employees $6.2m in 2021-22 compared to $6.4m the previous year. Elected representatives total remuneration was $401,237.
Consultant and contractor costs rose by more than $860,000 to $3.98m, compared to $3.12m.
Mabin said on Thursday that most of that cost was related to infrastructure/construction projects the council was undertaking on behalf, and VCS pest control operations - which were outside the normal operational functions of council.
"That is not consultants we have come in here," she said.
It was an audit requirement that any service the council sought externally, such as an archive project being undertaken by Development West Coast, "must have a contract".
Mabin said internal staff cover via consultant/contractor use for operational matters had been a "very low spend" in the period.
Aircraft hire totalling $2.6m was entirely related to VCS contract work.
The report details ongoing NEMA insurance claims and disaster cost recovery. Claims for costs from the floods of February last year and flood damage to rating district assets at Franz Josef, Karamea, Taramakau and Wanganui River at Hari Hari were nearly $600,000.
Further estimated costs of $321,557 were required in the current year to complete repairs, with a further claim now lodged for $292,559.
Overall, while the audit covers the council's financial performance it also audits its statutory function performance across every service area council provides.
These include regional leadership and the TTPP, council's Resource Management Act functions, its hydrology and flood warning services, river, drainage and coastal protection, community resilience and regional transport.
Overall the council posted a deficit of $1,112,777 against a budget of $10.5m, compared to a $10.57m profit the previous year.
The main causes of the deficit were the global economic impact on council's investment portfolio and the delayed IRG 'shovel ready' infrastructure projects funded by the Government. Subsidy and grant revenue from that source was $9.5m less than budgeted due to the delay in getting the infrastructure projects off the ground. As a result, the relevant funding requests from the Government were down from an expected $11.4m to $1.5m.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council needs to "learn to sprint" rather than act "at snail's pace" with its key infrastructure projects in 2023.
However, key projects including the $56 million Westport flood resilience scheme,… View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The West Coast Regional Council needs to "learn to sprint" rather than act "at snail's pace" with its key infrastructure projects in 2023.
However, key projects including the $56 million Westport flood resilience scheme, still need the green light from the Government.
Others such as the first stage of the Waiho (Waiau) River scheme at Franz Josef are stalled nearly a year after the contract was let due to a delay in affected party consent relating to a legal dispute.
The council's infrastructure governance committee, inaugurated last year amidst fears of losing up to $22m of Government money already allocated to council for projects, met this week to hear of progress on the major projects.
However, much of the finer detail was heard in-committee.
In opening, committee chairperson Frank Dooley noted a hard-hitting plea from West Coast dairy farmer Paul Berry to urgently address the threat posed by the Hokitika River to Westland Milk Products and Hokitika township.
That underlined the urgency the council had to move on in a number of areas, yet he had also read in a report recently "that we move at a snail's pace, and I think we have to learn to sprint".
"We have to be proactive."
Chief executive Heather Mabin updated a work plan for the yet-to-be approved $55m Westport scheme.
This had been sought "so we can hit the ground running" when the council got the go-ahead from the Government.
However, she said at this stage nothing was on the horizon as to when that might be.
"I was in contact with the Department of Internal Affairs last week. It hasn't changed: it will be part of the budget announcement later this year. We have set up a project team," Mabin said.
That team would be headed by Mike West, who oversaw the emergency housing project at Alma Rd in Westport, in the wake of the July 2021 floods.
As well, consultants Garry Williams, Matt Gardiner, and Steve Garner who had helped inform the $56m co-funding proposal in conjunction with the Westport Technical Advisory Group would be on the team.
Mabin said the council intended to have a work plan for Westport drafted by March 14.
The regional council had approved $700,000 of initial spending this year towards the project.
Any further urgent works signalled by Williams for Westport would be brought before council on March 14, she said.
Dooley, of Westport, said that was "music to the ears" but asked about the role of the Westport Joint Rating District.
Mabin said the project team would be responsible to her with reporting to the Infrastructure Resilience Group of MBIE.
At some point some recommendations regarding the Westport scheme would need to go before the joint committee.
"That is subject to the fact we do not know how much we have to spend."
Dooley said it would be wonderful news for Westport when it came.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Extraordinarily dry weather throughout the West Coast this summer has been reflected in very low flows in rivers across the region.
In contrast to the North Island in the wake of Cyclone Giselle, in the past seven days until Friday no rain had … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Extraordinarily dry weather throughout the West Coast this summer has been reflected in very low flows in rivers across the region.
In contrast to the North Island in the wake of Cyclone Giselle, in the past seven days until Friday no rain had fallen in the Buller River catchment at Bald Hill and there has been 23mm in the Inangahua catchment, according to West Coast Regional Council river monitoring data.
For the Grey River and its inland tributaries no rain has been recorded for seven days; likewise, no rain has been recorded in the Hokitika River headwaters for the same period while further south the Waiho (Waiau) at Franz Josef only had 2.5mm.
Over December and January the council has been closely monitoring river levels, particularly in the Grey Valley.
"For the most part of January, the lack of rainfall has seen all the rivers drop near or below their seven-day mean annual low flows," a staff report to the West Coast Regional Council Resource Management Committee this week said.
As a result, hydrology staff conducted 18 'low flow' gaugings which would help the council to calibrate its current flow models for waterways in the region.
The council expected to start reporting long term flow data soon via its website, the report said.
It notified Grey Valley farmers last month they were on irrigation watch. The valley is one of the principal irrigated farming areas on the West Coast.
Meanwhile, the report notes that council only picked up one area of concern through its contact recreation water monitoring for popular swimming holes and beaches. That was at Marrs Beach, at the mouth of a major protected wetland off Martins Creek and opposite Westport township on the Buller River.
It exceeded the safe E coli threshold for swimming at the new year.
Increased coliform readings are often associated with rainfall but, "no significant rainfall occurred at the time," the report said.
In recent weeks, science staff had also been responding to public inquiries around potentially toxic algae after the council put out a public appeal to watch for and report toxic algae.
But so far no sites have been found that pose a health threat.
The threat was considered serious as rivers continued to drop and higher water temperatures and low flows can prompt harmful algae.
"Warm stable temperatures can favour growth of such algae. So far no sites have been found that pose a significant threat to human or animal health."
The West Coast council was liaising with Health NZ and Environment Canterbury on how to respond should a
significant threat be identified.
The council is also having to up its game around wetland assessment, with new national standards impacting.
Science staff had helped the compliance department with a wetland assessment last month.
"Council will need to increase capacity in identifying and validating wetland types and extent. Science and compliance staff are currently developing skills in wetland plant identification."
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Everything from coal dust at Stillwater to rubbish being burned in 44-gallon drums has attracted complaints to the West Coast Regional Council over summer.
Compliance staff undertook 85 site visits in the two months to the end of January, staff … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Everything from coal dust at Stillwater to rubbish being burned in 44-gallon drums has attracted complaints to the West Coast Regional Council over summer.
Compliance staff undertook 85 site visits in the two months to the end of January, staff reported to the Resource Management Committee today.
Seven related to public complaints, 16 were for mining compliance and bond release checks, five for resource consent monitoring, and 57 dairy farm checks.
Compliance staff found several drums with rubbish burning at a Franz Josef site and they offered some guidance to the offender.
A tyre fire on Caribou Rd at Ikamatua is also under the council's gaze following a request from Fire and Emergency New Zealand, which extinguished the blaze.
A complaint about excess coal dust entering houses near the coal transfer station adjoining the Stillwater railway yard was upheld.
Staff found a lot of dust had settled on the windowsills of the complainant, resulting in the site manager agreeing to move water sprinklers at the coal loadout site to dampen the dust.
An associated transport company was also directed to ensure all trailers are covered when transporting coal in the area.
An old house being demolished near Franz Josef and illegally buried is under investigation.
"It was found that the house was buried on farmland without the appropriate consent."
The contractor had been asked to remove it to a consented dump but they had since applied "for a retrospective consent" to keep the remains on site.
Meanwhile, the council is keeping watch on stock in waterways on farms.
A Rotomanu farm pinged during a routine visit by council for three unbridged stock crossings had previously been reported and the farmer had yet to comply.
No further action was being taken about cows allegedly being in the Haast River early this month but the leaseholder had agreed to fence an area where cows were alleged to have been.
A complaint "by another agency" about earthworks at the old Seaview Hospital site was not upheld.
An allegation a Kaniere landowner was taking scrap metal to a mine site and burying it was not upheld.
Staff found the land being cleared was contaminated with scrap metal, which had been separated and was being loaded on to a truck by a scrap metal dealer.
Another compliant of a bad smell from a Hokitika transport firm yard over the new year break was found to be from the stock truck discharge sump; action was taken to mitigate that in future.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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