Westland mayor warns regional council over flood work: ‘We’ll be watching’

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Lois Williams:

Westland mayor Helen Lash is putting the West Coast Regional Council on notice that it’s under close scrutiny as it manages the latest multi-million dollar Franz stopbank project.

The council has agreed to accept up to $7.9 million from the Government to strengthen the vulnerable community’s defences against the Waiho (Waiau) River.

The cost will be split 60/40 - with local ratepayers contributing up to $3.1 million.

Lash - who chairs the Waiho Special Rating District joint committee - said Franz Josef people had been down a “hellish’ road to finally approve that decision, at a tense meeting in the town last week.

“There’s clearly a lot of distrust of the regional council.

"There is no denying that and it’s not just from this community. I’ve seen it up and down the coast and we have to manage that, going forward.”

The council’s 10-year strategy for the Waiho, based on scientists’ advice, was to gradually release the river from its southern stopbanks, reducing the risk to Franz Josef on the north side.

South bank farmers and residents had earlier hopes of a government buy-out, but that had been ruled out and their property values and equity had plummeted, Lash said.

All Franz Josef ratepayers were now having to take on debt to pay for stopbanks that might not survive the ten-year loan period, given the increasing ferocity of floods and storms.

“These people are being asked to fund something that leaves them potentially with no asset - I’m talking people on the south side – why the hell would you want to support what they’ve just agreed to?"

As the mayor, and chairperson of the joint rating district committee made up of regional council members and locals, she supported their decision, but said they had little choice.

“It’s a terrible dilemma. The south bank people could walk away tomorrow with nothing. Nothing can save them at the end of the day, and I would not want to be in that position."

The choice had been made harder because the West Coast Regional Council had not been upfront with the community in the past, the mayor said.

“It hasn’t held meetings, it hasn’t been clear about the reserve funds it rates them for and it hasn’t provided information about what it’s doing."

The present council was trying to make up for that, with repeated visits, apologies for the past, and a special consultation process over the latest loan, she conceded.

But she said the legacy of distrust and despair was understandable.

The regional council had in the past forged ahead with stopbank projects, ignoring local advice, then sending out the bills, the Westland mayor said.

“It’s about transparency. They’ve forgotten along the way that they’re there to serve the communities they work for. Franz Josef is a brilliant community, the people work bloody hard and the council forgets it’s that hard graft that pays for all their rockwork."

She had personally copped some of the fallout for that, Lash said.
“Because it’s one of my communities. I’ve never made any bones of what I think of the structure of the regional council – it’s always been a boys’ network and it still is."

Regional council chairperson Peter Haddock has apologised several times for the council’s past dealings with Franz Josef ratepayers.

“We can’t change what happened in the past, and we are sorry for that, but we do things differently now and we’ve got to focus on the future and how we work together for this community,” he told LDR.

When the council resolved to accept the government funding offer it also approved a condensed version of conditions insisted on by Franz Josef ratepayers last Wednesday.

It resolved to consult them further on the loan before setting rates; to consult them on priority works; and to keep them “apprised of all stages of the works".

Lash said the motion ratepayers passed last week stipulated the joint committee would have prior approval of all intended stopbank works, and that the council would present it with monthly invoices and progress reports.

“Without that exact wording the Franz Josef committee would not have agreed to the loan so it’s disappointing the council did not include all those conditions verbatim, in their motion.”

The council’s motion left it too much “wiggle room” to retain control, Lash said.

“They refer to it, but I’m concerned they could still try to do what they want, not what the ratepayers are willing to pay for, so we’ll be watching them very closely,” she said.

The Westland mayor says the District Council should be the lead agency in dealing with Government over the future of Franz Josef for the sake of transparency.

The West Coast Regional Council has been approached for comment.