207 days ago

West Coast to review who pays for flood protection

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

West Coasters could pay a universal rate for flood protection assets in future - regardless of where they live.

The West Coast Regional Council will consider various options as part of a rating district review due by 2027.

Currently, 23 special rating districts pay targeted rates to maintain river stop banks or coastal protection walls in their area.

The rating district setup, on behalf of local communities, includes the three main towns of Greymouth, Westport, and Hokitika, the tourist hotspots of Punakaiki and Franz Josef, and multiple farming communities along the region's 650km length.

A report to councillors for the 2024-34 long-term plan (LTP) said the rating district review was included in consultation to indicate it "was required".

The way individual rating districts were founded had resulted in "a range of different rating scenarios" and constitutional arrangements.

It left "a level of complexity and inefficiency" in the gambit of what each rating area was for.

Haast submitter Vance Boyd said the benefit of rating districts was viewed differently within particular communities and it was a potentially divisive issue.

At the same time small communities struggled to raise the necessary capital to add protection.

Boyd said the council should rate across "the whole district" rather than relying on individual rating for particular areas.

Councillor Peter Ewen said the "bigger picture" of wider community benefit from protection assets had to be highlighted.

This was relevant for those outside a particular rating area who gained the benefit of accessing a service centre like Greymouth for example.

"The whole community benefits from those rating districts, it doesn't matter where they are," he said.

Long-time Westport surveyor Chris Coll also said the special rating district net should be thrown for the widest community benefit.

He estimated up to 15% of the town of Westport could fall "outside" the projected flood protection scheme for his area, yet all residents in the area would benefit from it.

Council chief executive Darryl Lew noted Westport was "a greenfield scheme" at this point and identifying the tangible benefit was yet to be worked through.

But the question of direct and indirect benefit would be assessed as the scheme design was finalised in the next couple of months.

Lew also noted Southland had now gone to "one targeted rate for all its special rating districts".

Councillor Brett Cummings said having one targeted rate might impact council's ability to tap external funding for new protection projects and that needed investigation.

Ewen noted one submitter viewed a universal approach to special rating areas as potentially penalising them for choosing to live "in less risky areas".

However, it was always on property buyers to be aware of the risk in the first place, he said.

James Sutherland, for Federated Farmers, said the proposed review should go out for full consultation given 6500 ratable properties across the region were not currently within a special rating area.

The report noted rating district asset management as "crucial to support the region" because it:
* protects economic productivity,
* reduces natural hazard risk to communities,
* promotes safety and wellbeing.

During formal LTP deliberations, Cummings said the review was not just about rates but the constitution of the rating districts.

Lew agreed, saying a lot of the submitters had focused only on benefit.

But all aspects of the current rating schemes needed to be reviewed including that some were rated based on land value, others on capital value.

The question of council back-office costs for individual districts also had to be assessed, he said.

More messages from your neighbours
13 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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5 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.8% Summer
    61.8% Complete
  • 36.5% Winter
    36.5% Complete
  • 1.7% Other - I'll share below
    1.7% Complete
1320 votes
1 day ago

Worst Xmas ever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.

Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...

Share your Christmas mishaps below!

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