Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection

The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown.

“The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million in recent years to support emergency preparedness. Now, following detailed work on the design of the flood protection, the Government has confirmed an additional $20 million to complete the project,” Mr Brown says.

$2 million of this funding will also go towards property-level adaptation measures for those outside the stop banks. Organs Island, upstream from the town, will be transferred to West Coast Regional Council management to slow flood waters as part of the funding.

“The people of the West Coast are no strangers to harsh weather. But in recent years Westport has been particularly hard hit. We are committed to supporting the community to increase their resilience to floods,” Mr Brown says.

“I would like to thank members of the community, including local MP Maureen Pugh, for working constructively with the Government and conveying just how much this project will mean to the people of Westport.

“This funding means that the regional council can get on with the job of building stop banks around Westport, protecting its residents from future flooding.”

Construction of the stop banks is expected to begin this year and be completed by 2027. The West Coast Regional council will also co-invest in this work with its contribution being confirmed in its draft Long Term Plan.

(With Inputs from New Zealand Government Press Release)