UPDATE: FIVE YEARS ON FROM THE WESTPORT FLOODS

UPDATE: FIVE YEARS ON FROM THE WESTPORT FLOODS - 17 July 2026

A word from West Coast Regional Council Chief Executive, Darryl Lew

‍The July 2021 floods left an indelible mark on Westport. For the 2,000 people evacuated and those whose homes were damaged, the impacts remain as significant today as they were then. The West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) and the Westport Flood Protection Scheme (WFPS) team has not forgotten this, and we remain fully committed to delivering the structural protection this community needs.

While we understand the frustration regarding timelines, a project of this scale and complexity requires rigorous engineering design and investigations. Since Resilient Westport began scoping in early 2024, we have prioritised doing the job right over doing it fast. Progress is being made: the Cat’s Creek bund, McKenna stopbank, and O’Conor rockwall are complete. Consent has been granted for Avery’s stopbank, and two further consents covering three protection areas are currently being processed.

Behind the scenes, we are focused on ways to make the project more affordable, while still providing as high a standard of flood protection possible. While we have identified a potential funding shortfall of $10 - 15 million above the original $25.8 million budget, this is not a final figure. We are actively working to reduce costs through a value engineering process. This involves reviewing the design and construction of flood protection works to find ways to make cost savings. This can include variables such as the height of the stopbanks, the materials they are built from, providing for future climate change, and freeboard (additional stopbank height to address uncertainties).

We are also bringing realism to our schedule. We know the original timeframes were optimistic, and we now estimate another two to three years to completion - a timeline consistent with similar large-scale projects.

Personally, I have been involved in many flood schemes across New Zealand and been part of some very significant floods and responses. The devastating flood of 2021 in Westport was by far the most significant. The team and I are committed to getting the design right and bringing the community with us for flood protection assets that will offer protection to Westport for many decades to come. 

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