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From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Application for consent to build new beach access to the Hokitika beachfront has been rejected by the West Coast Regional Council at this stage.
And the dispute over a $90,000 claim the Westland District Council believes it has with the regional … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Application for consent to build new beach access to the Hokitika beachfront has been rejected by the West Coast Regional Council at this stage.
And the dispute over a $90,000 claim the Westland District Council believes it has with the regional council to contribute to the access project has not been settled.
The proposal to improve access over the rock seawall off the end of Weld Lane was put forward in the Westland District Council's 2020-21 annual plan.
But it has been bogged down after the regional council baulked at a $90,000 invoice it received from the Westland council for its 'share'.
Westland's chief executive Simon Bastion told his council in December the bill was still under discussion.
Westland's district assets group manager Scott Baxendale said this week there was still no start date for the work, after the council had earlier indicated it would be under way by now.
However, they would soon be engaging with the regional council as consent holders for the wall.
"We are still working through the consenting requirements regarding the beach access," Baxendale said.
The district council was commissioning a project manager to move the project on, including gaining the appropriate consents.
Meanwhile, the disputed invoice was "not resolved", he said.
Regional council acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said the Westland council had lodged a consent application late last year relating to ramp access at the beach.
But it had been rejected by the regional council's consultant due to a lack of supporting information with the application.
Clark said they had not received anything further yet from Westland.
Chief executive Heather Mabin said Westland had still been "unable to produce evidence" that the regional council had agreed to partially fund the district council's beach access project.
A forensic search by the regional council of files for any evidence of an agreement about the $90,000 had turned up nought last year.
"[Westland chief executive] Simon Bastion has been unable to produce any evidence or any agreement," she said.
"I have let Simon know we will not be paying an invoice for $90,000."
Mabin said it would simply be "not prudent" to cough up, noting that the Westland bill equated to a $4.50 cost per rating unit, "to build a beach access we haven't officially agreed to".
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.
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By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A stay on a 427% increase in electricity transmission charges for over 4800 Buller consumers was welcomed today by the mayor.
Early this month Buller Electricity Ltd, owned by the Buller Electricity Power Trust, mounted a legal challenge against … View moreBy local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A stay on a 427% increase in electricity transmission charges for over 4800 Buller consumers was welcomed today by the mayor.
Early this month Buller Electricity Ltd, owned by the Buller Electricity Power Trust, mounted a legal challenge against national grid operator Transpower, which proposed increasing transmission charges by 427%.
The increase was due to take effect from April 1.
Today, Buller Electricity announced that following court action an interim arrangement had been reached "pausing any increases".
This would be until the judicial review application was resolved, it said.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said given Westport's relative isolation and low population the stay was what might be hoped for in the circumstances.
"Buller is at the end of a pretty long line in terms of supply. Those charges passed on by the lines companies have a pretty powerful impact," Cleine said.
This was against a background of "an uncompetitive" market, natural disaster, and the loss of the district's single biggest electricity customer, Holcim Cement, which closed in 2016.
Cleine said he understood that loss to Transpower was to have been passed on to the rest of Buller power consumers, at a time when the district was significantly challenged after the flood recovery.
"That was my understanding, they effectively had to distribute that share of the line cost to all of the other connections on the network - quite unhelpful.
"It's a pity it has to go to court action before that can be brought to the table -- a good outcome before it is eventually resolved."
Buller Electricity director Shannon Hollis said today the interim arrangement was the first hurdle in a process.
"For us it's the very first step in the process; it's what we were hoping to achieve."
The company was awaiting a formal hearing date in May.
Under the interim arrangement, Buller Electricity will be reducing the transmission price increases previously notified to energy retailers, such as Genesis, Pulse Energy and Contact Energy.
"We recognise this is not an ideal situation for [energy] retailers, some of whom may have already communicated the increased prices to their customers," Hollis said.
However, the overriding concern for Buller Electricity was avoiding "significant hardship" for local residents and businesses, caused by the massive transmission charge signalled by Transpower.
The effect of the interim agreement was to provide "much needed relief" for local consumers for the time being, until a court determination.
One of the terms of the interim agreement was that the parties would seek a fixture as soon as possible so the legality of Transpower's proposed reclassification of lines assets could be determined by the courts without delay.
The increase notified by Transpower in December largely reflected a change to the way it classified national grid assets in Buller.
Hollis said the impact was "particularly harsh" given the small population of about 4850 end-consumers.
He iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
Pita Tipene is the Chair of the … View moreHe iwi tahi tatou. Together we are one nation, united by Te Whare Rūnanga, standing tall next to the Treaty House and built by the hands of my whānau for not only Māori and Pākehā, but all New Zealanders. I invite you to come and share in their story.”
Pita Tipene is the Chair of the Waitangi National Trust. He, and all of those all of those at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, invite you to come and feel the stories that shaped Aotearoa.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Westroads has begun the process of renewing consents for its longstanding gravel extraction along Blaketown beach at Greymouth.
A newcomer to Blaketown who recently approached Local Democracy Reporting was shocked at the operation and claimed … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Westroads has begun the process of renewing consents for its longstanding gravel extraction along Blaketown beach at Greymouth.
A newcomer to Blaketown who recently approached Local Democracy Reporting was shocked at the operation and claimed the rate of extraction had accelerated in recent times and was going deeper than permitted.
"They're taking vast amounts — they're wrecking the beach basically. I think they've been doing this for years probably, but lately they've really accelerated it," they claimed.
However, the West Coast Regional Council has checked the consented extraction in the past week and found nothing substantially wrong.
Acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said they had undertaken an inspection and on the day everything was above board.
However, compliance staff had reminded Westroads of their responsibilities to keep their gravel take above the waterline.
Photographs prior to the inspection showing machinery working in the tide "did raise a few concerns" as a 5m no-take buffer was supposed to be maintained to the water's edge.
Gravel being piled on the beach head was also meant to be temporary.
"They are also not supposed to be stockpiling in the CMA (coastal marine area) unless the stockpile is levelled out and respread at the end of the day's activities."
Clark said the current resource consent allows Westroads to take from the beach from the area adjacent to the Westroads yard in Flower St, to a point just short of the Blaketown tiphead.
A consent renewal process was now under way and awaiting affected party approval, she said.
It was not being publicly notified.
"They are allowed to continue to operate under their current consent until the new one is either granted or declined."
Westroads is ultimately owned by the Westland District Council. It has consents for similar activity from South Beach to behind the Paroa School.
A supporting technical report for Westroads by shoreline consultant Dr Martin Single, supplied to the regional council, presents a description of the physical coastal environment of Blaketown and Paroa-South Beach.
Historical changes are analysed, updating previous analysis and reporting from 2007 and 2012.
The executive summary of the 68-page technical report describes long term stability of the backshore from Blaketown south and an increase in beach volume along the beach length.
Previous study of erosion phases superimposed on the long-term trend of gravel accretion showed the latter "masks the effects of the gravel extraction," Short said.
"The survey data shows no systemic retreat of the shoreline or loss of beach volume over the longer time period of data from 2005 to May 2022.
"There are also no persistent localised erosion 'hot spots' along the shore related directly to areas of sediment extraction."
Historical beach sediment extraction regarding shoreline erosion, beach volume loss or inundation by wave overtopping the backshore or beach crest did not appear to be significant.
"There also do not appear to be adverse short-term effects of the extraction activity. The data analysis indicates that the historical consented extraction volumes are sustainable and would not result in an adverse effect.
"This is also projected to be the case over the proposed 10-year consenting period with projected sea level rise."
* Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A billion-dollar business that underpins the West Coast economy is under threat for want of better flood protection on the Hokitika River.
"It's a disaster waiting to happen."
That was the pithy message from long-time Grey … View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A billion-dollar business that underpins the West Coast economy is under threat for want of better flood protection on the Hokitika River.
"It's a disaster waiting to happen."
That was the pithy message from long-time Grey Valley dairy farmer and former Grey district councillor Paul Berry to the West Coast Regional Council last week.
"Seriously, it could flood tomorrow," Berry said in a to-the-point presentation to the council's Infrastructure Governance Committee.
Strengthening the floodwall on the northern channel of the Hokitika River, where it was cutting into the bank behind the Westland Milk Products dairy factory, should have started three months ago.
With his 60-year experience of big West Coast rivers and knowing their ability to suddenly change course, he said no one could afford complacency about what could happen with the Hokitika River.
"That job needed starting two to three months ago. There are over 300 family farms in our region and they need their milk picked up 24/7, and if anything like has happened in the North Island comes up, it's bad news for the factory.
"It's a disaster just waiting to happen - and we don't need another one," Berry told the committee.
A solution for the riverbank including heightening it has been in the planning for the past year. The regional council gained several millions of 'shovel ready' money from the Government to improve flood protection along the lower Hokitika River bordering the residential and town centre.
However, with the departure of key staff at the regional council, the project has lagged.
Former Westland mayor Bruce Smith warned before the local body elections last year that the regional council and Westland District Council faced "litigation risk" if they did not get on with it.
Last week, councillor Peter Haddock asked Berry how he rated the current risk on the Hokitika River behind the dairy factory.
Berry said he could only speak on the basis of "the university of life".
But to him if an 'old man flood' arrived now he could not see anything less than a catastrophe - not only for the factory but also residential Hokitika.
The river was chewing its way towards an old channel and was now within metres of being a major threat to the entire area.
"It's curtains. Rivers like soft curves [and] chewing out gravel. We can't make it any clearer than that."
Infrastructure committee chairperson councillor Frank Dooley said from what Berry was saying, the dairy factory was "extremely vulnerable".
"It is not only the biggest employer on the West Coast but creates the most income per GDP," Dooley said, so the council had a responsibility to act with urgency.
Haddock said there was also the environmental factor to consider if the dairy factory was affected by flooding, leaving farmers from Karamea to Fox Glacier having to dump their milk.
Councillor Andy Campbell, a Harihari dairy farmer, said the threat to the dairy industry was too important to leave until after the event to fix.
"We can't wait for big floods and want to do something about it ... it's a $1 billion industry."
Dooley said the proposed Hokitika River protection scheme was due to be discussed in-committee but he assured Berry "we are on to it".
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.
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We've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? … View moreWe've seen the devastation of flood waters, yet the Government backed down on plans to protect wetlands (which help soak up heavy rain) after they received complaints by property developers.
Are you confident we're making the right decisions to protect us from future disasters? Let's discuss!
Share your thoughts in the comments below - add NFP if you don't want these shared in the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Repairs have been ordered for washouts in the Wanganui River protection scheme as a result of the Waitangi Weekend storm in South Westland.
The West Coast Regional Council ordered the fix last week, following a plea from coucillor Andy Campbell,… View moreFrom local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Repairs have been ordered for washouts in the Wanganui River protection scheme as a result of the Waitangi Weekend storm in South Westland.
The West Coast Regional Council ordered the fix last week, following a plea from coucillor Andy Campbell, a farmer on the Wanganui River at Hari Hari and chairman of the local rating district.
Declaring his personal interest, Campbell said he would pay for a temporary repair himself due to the river sweeping away about 80m of stopbank over the long weekend.
The latest incursion had badly affected his neighbour's and had sent the river straight towards his cowshed.
The council took the matter in hand at the Infrastructure Governance Committee meeting last week.
Councillor Peter Haddock said the continuing erosion could no longer just be left.
"This has come up now in our previous two meetings, that we have signalled there are problems there, and we haven't done anything about it."
Since February 2022 the council has been hearing of large chunks being washed out of what is the largest flood protection scheme on the West Coast.
The vulnerability of the State Highway 6 bridge across the Wanganui River is another worry given previous storms that had closed the highway for weeks.
The regional council has undertaken some work on the riverbank following the February and August storms but it is still awaiting news of a claim to the National Emergency Management Agency.
Chairperson Frank Dooley said a recent briefing with consultants about the Wanganui River scheme had been "very constructive".
Management had been asked for a proposal by Tuesday so the emergency work could be addressed, but it had not arrived and Dooley said the situation could not continue to be left.
"I don't want to leave this council office today without actually understanding what we are going to do about the immediate issues on the Wanganui River."
He reiterated there had been "very clear" advice.
"We just need to follow through and do the job."
Haddock said the past approach of constant maintenance of river protection in the region was for a practical reason given the propensity of rivers to change course.
"I know there is a trend today to say it is climate change," Haddock said.
But the amount of maintenance work the rockwall - built decades ago by the old Westland Catchment Board -- was significant, he said.
"We have a commitment to do that work - that is the function of the regional council. We've got to address this, when we've got a hole there that needs addressing, we've got to find a solution."
Dooley said the engineering advice had been that doing immediate repairs would not affect the longer term improvement plan the council was considering for the scheme.
Councillors then moved into public excluded, and Haddock confirmed afterwards that they had subsequently agreed to a "stitch in time" approach immediately.
"It was agreed it needed an urgent repair ... You can't just leave it - it's too dangerous."
Payment would be worked out later as the district rating scheme did not have the funds on its own.
"We've got to put a stitch in, otherwise we could lose the whole thing next week."
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air
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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