Westport flood money trickles in

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

Westport flood resilience money is trickling in to the West Coast Regional Council almost three years after the town was ravaged by flooding.

But replenishment by $1 million of a 'catastrophe' fund spent by council on emergency flood works in the aftermath of the July 2021 flood has yet to be finalised.

The council hopes to soon use some of the $16.6m allocated under the co-funded $22.9million package announced in the May 2023 Budget as it works to progress some of the 'quick win' aspects of the broader stopbank scheme for the town.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated when heavy rain caused extensive flooding in Westport in July 2021. Some 400 houses were initially red-stickered with 23% of the town's housing stock needing repair. The town was then hit again by flooding in 2022.

In the May deal, the Government agreed to top up council's catastrophe funds, which were used to make urgent fixes to Westport's historic flood defences, inland from the town, in 2022.

The emergency protection repairs were needed as the town was still as vulnerable to the events which led to the July 2021 event.

An investments and borrowing report to council's Risk and Assurance Committee this week noted council was still awaiting a Department of Internal Affairs evaluation and "subsequent payment".

Councillor Peter Haddock said he was concerned council "still haven't got that money".

Chief executive Darryl Lew said he was meeting DIA officials in Westport this week "in an effort to release that catastrophe money".

He said he did not foresee any barriers to the money coming back.

Committee chairperson Frank Dooley said he looked forward to an update and receipt of the funds.

Councillor Brett Cummings said he raised the repayment with DIA officials at the Westport Resilience Governance meeting, last week.

"They said they had the invoice and they were looking into it."

Dooley said he accepted Lew's optimism, "there are no barriers".

Acting corporate services manager Aaron Prendergast said the context needed to be clarified.

The council had only rendered the necessary invoices to DIA last month for the emergency spend and payment was barely due, he said.

"At the moment I would have no reason to expect money in our account yet."

Cummings asked why the invoices had not been rendered earlier.

Dooley noted it would reflect council having been "completely under resourced" until recently.

Lew said his upcoming discussion with the DIA was principally about the drawdown of the main funds to start the main stopbank work.

The 2023 general election and the transition to a new administration have previously cited as a as a reason for the delayed $1m repayment.

The report details the special investment fund has built up again from $484,759 at the end of the June 2023 quarter to $495,817 at December 31.