Snodgrass Road

Kawatiri Coastal Trail - Carter's Beach Westport

The scheme is divided into five main sections of stopbanks:

Lower Orowaiti, Upper Orowaiti, North End, Lower Buller (Wharf to Buller Bridge) and Upper Buller (SH67 from Buller Bridge to Nine Mile Road).

In addition, stopbanks are planned for Snodgrass Road and Carters Beach.

Snodgrass Road and Carters Beach are not covered by the Resilient Westport government funding, so this work is likely to come from local share (WCRC) and pledged donations.

A group of local businesses have recently pledged over $2m towards flood mitigation works for Snodgrass Road and Carters Beach.

Snodgrass Road

Planning work for Snodgrass Road flood mitigation is underway.

  • Complete: Investigative work and preliminary design is complete. A flood mitigation report was shared with the community in January 2025. The proposal would consist of a stopbank to protect 26 of the 30 vulnerable properties. The design is conceived to keep overland flow paths open as far as practicable and minimise any adverse effects to reasonable limits. 

  • Current status: Work has temporarily paused while other design projects proceed.  It will recommence soon with the geotechnical investigations. Funding options for the flood mitigation work are not confirmed and need to be assessed.

  • Estimated construction dates:  Late 2026 (subject to funding and consenting)

Possible flood mitigation options for Snodgrass Road, Westport

The West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) has commissioned a report into possible flood mitigation options for Snodgrass Road.

You can find the report along with the presentation shown to affected residents on 30 January 2025 here:

Snodgrass Road Flood Mitigation Report (complete)

Snodgrass Road Flood Mitigation Report appendices

Snodgrass Road Flood Mitigation Report (low res)

Snodgrass Road Flood Mitigation presentation (low res)