Westport receives additional funding for flood resilience

Westport receives additional funding for flood resilience | Insurance Business New Zealand

Catastrophe & Flood

Westport receives additional funding for flood resilience

Support comes after the 2021 weather events that resulted in more than $70 million worth of claims

Catastrophe & Flood

By
Kenneth Araullo

The funding will cover three areas of flood protection:

Avoiding future flood risk by supporting councils to strengthen provisions
Enhancing activities to build the resilience of exposed property or neighbourhoods
Relocating growth away from flood risk and into lower-risk areas

“Westport’s low-lying location between the Buller River, the Orowaiti Estuary and the coast makes it highly vulnerable to flooding,” Hipkins said in a news release. “Buller was dealt a rough blow with two serious flooding events in the last two years. In the July 2021 event almost a quarter of all homes in Westport needed repair and more than 2000 people were forced to evacuate.”

This new round of funding marks the third government investment into Westport. The town received $17 million in 2021 for a temporary accommodation village, followed by $13.6 million from the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund in 2022 for transport and water infrastructure in Alma Road.

Local government minister Kieran McAnulty said that the Westport community has stepped up and supported each other through the calamity, backed by the $100 million recovery package from the government.

“After these devastating floods, it’s crucial central government partners with and supports this community in the long term to become more resilient,” McAnulty said. “No-one wants to see more families losing their homes, or businesses shut down due to flooding. We will be continuing to work with the West Coast Regional Council, the Buller District Council, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae to get these new projects underway as soon as possible.”

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