Media Release: Regional councillors to consider next steps for Westport Flood Protection Scheme

West Coast Regional Councillors will tomorrow review an update on the Westport Flood Protection Scheme (WFPS) reset, at an Extraordinary Council meeting.

Media Release: Regional councillors to consider next steps for Westport Flood Protection Scheme

West Coast Regional Councillors will tomorrow review an update on the Westport Flood Protection Scheme (WFPS) reset, at an Extraordinary Council meeting.

Media Release: Request for tenders for the future use of Organs Island

The West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) has issued a Request for Tenders (RFT) in relation to Organs Island near Westport.

See our update published in the Westport News on 24 July 2026 covering Exercise Whakatahi (to test the recently completed Westport Flood Evacuation Response Plan), along with other useful links and updates.

A word from West Coast Regional Council Chief Executive Darryl Lew - five years on from the July 2021 Westport floods.

Media Release: Start date signalled for Avery’s stopbank in Westport

‍Work on building the Avery’s stopbank in Westport is likely to start in January 2027.

Media Release: O’Conor home protection being built to higher standard

‍ Flood protection works adjacent to the O’Conor Home are being built to a higher design standard than the rest of the Westport Flood Protection Scheme in recognition of the risk posed to residents if evacuation was necessary.‍

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The Avery’s stopbank in Westport has been granted Resource Consent from the West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) and Buller District Council (BDC).

‍ The Avery’s stopbank will provide protection to 30 to 40 properties in the Orowaiti Road area, which are at risk of overflow from the estuary. It forms part of the larger Lower Orowaiti section of flood protection.

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A public meeting in Westport last night attracted around 150 locals to hear about the Westport Emergency Management environment and enhanced evacuation planning for the area.

The people of Westport and surrounds are no strangers to emergency situations, and the goal of the Get Ready – Go! campaign was to encourage people to think ahead in the face of a possible flooding emergency.

Most local residents should have recently received a copy of the Westport: Get Ready – Go! Evacuation Guide in their letterboxes along with a short Household Evacuation Plan template to fill out with key information to help in the event of an emergency.

Encouraging the people of Westport and surrounds to think ahead in the face of a flooding emergency is at the heart of a campaign being delivered by West Coast Emergency Management Team, in conjunction with Resilient Westport.        

A Resource Consent Application was lodged on Friday (13 March 2026) with West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) and Buller District Council (BDC) for the Floating Lagoon stopbank in Westport.

A combined Resource Consent Application is being lodged today for the Carters Beach and Upper Buller stopbanks near Westport.

The stopbanks form part of the Resilient Westport, Flood Protection Scheme, being delivered by West Coast Regional Council (WCRC).

Local West Coast company Rosco Contractors Ltd has successfully tendered to carry out the work to build a rock revetment wall on the Buller River near the O’Conor Home in Westport.

As part of the Resilient Westport flood protection work, a section of the Upper Buller stopbank will cross over O'Conor Home land. The alignment of the stopbank means some reinforcing of the riverbank is required. .

West Coast Regional Council and Buller District Council are reassuring home and landowners in the Westport area that conversations with insurers will continue as changes are signalled.

This follows a letter sent to Buller Mayor Chris Russell last week indicating that AA Insurance will temporarily stop offering new business, home and landlord insurance policies for properties in the 7825 postcode due to flood-risk exposure.

The final ten metres of the Cats Creek bund in Westport will now be completed after agreement was reached with KiwiRail.

The work will get underway once a contractor is finalised.

Changes to how the Resilient Westport Adaptation Relief Fund will be administered will be discussed at next week’s West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) meeting.

The fund of $2m was provided for by central government in the Resilient Westport package of work. The aim is to assist homeowners still exposed to risk after the implementation of flood mitigation measures.

Spaces still remain for businesses in and around Westport to attend free workshops on how to bounce back better from major floods and other emergencies.

The free workshops are being offered as part of the Resilient Westport Business Resilience & Continuity Campaign targeting local business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs.

The enhanced Westport Flood: Evacuation Response Plan was endorsed by the West Coast Emergency Management (WCEM) Joint Committee at its quarterly meeting today.

Emergency Management self-evacuation survey results released

The survey answers will help Emergency Management test the estimates in the Enhanced Evacuation Plan.