News

After five weeks of polls, surveys and conversations, Buller District Council’s engagement with the community about shaping Council’s next 10-year plan closed on Sunday 12 November.

An earthquake valve located at the Westport Water Treatment Plant was triggered yesterday afternoon at 3:04pm causing low to no water pressure in areas of Westport and Carters Beach.  

Buller District Council Chief Executive Officer Steve Gibling has accepted the resignation of Group Manager Regulatory Services Sean Judd this week. Mr Judd has been with council for the past five years. 

Buller District’s economy has grown at a similar level to the rest of the country, according to the latest Infometrics Quarterly Economic Monitor.

After five weeks of chats, polls, surveys and conversations, Buller District Council’s engagement with the community about the shape of council’s next 10-year plan is nearing the finish line.

Buller District Council has signed its new insurance policies for the coming 12 months to manage a variety of risks, in the event of claims for damage needing to be made. The new insurance will come into effect on 1 November.

The Karamea Highway suffered significant damage during the July 2021 and February 2022 weather events.  In December 2022, council received $13.2M funding approval from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency for the repair of the Buller District’s storm damaged roads. 

Three Westport pump station cabinets will be raised above the one in one-hundred-year flood level as part of the Betterment Programme funded by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).  

The countdown is on to gather as much feedback as possible from the Buller community over the next week and a half, to give council a starting point to plot out the district's course for the next ten years.

Waka Kotahi announced today that the two West Coast Special Purpose Roads (SPR) located at Jackson Bay and the Karamea Bluff will be fully funded by Waka Kotahi for the coming three years.

Two weeks have passed since Buller District Council embarked on shaping Buller’s next 10-year plan together with the community.  

Mayor Jamie Cleine says: “The response has overwhelmingly been positive so far. We have received some amazing feedback from community groups, individuals and other organisations about how we approach drafting this key document.”  

West Coast Emergency Management and Buller District Council took part the New Zealand ShakeOut yesterday. ShakeOut takes place every year across the country to remind people of the right actions to take during an earthquake: Drop, Cover and Hold.  

Independent reviews show Buller District Council’s Programme Management Office (PMO) is delivering for ratepayers, but further investigation is needed to resolve outstanding questions about financial management.

Nine new CCTV cameras have recently been installed at the Westport Transfer Station with the goal of improving the site’s security. This will address multiple security incidents which have occurred within the past year. 

Buller District Council will hit the road over the next five weeks to ask community members what they want their district to look like in the coming 10-years - for you, your mates, kids or whānau.