Westland District Council has advised the Government that the operation to remove rubbish resulting from the wash-out of the disused Fox River landfill will cost a minimum of an extra $750,000. This is on top of money already spent on the post-flood clean-up and reinstatement of district roads, and will leave Westland District Council $1.1million out of pocket.

In a briefing paper to relevant Government Ministers last week, the council said it could be forced to suspend all recovery operations from Friday this week (31 May) unless more funding is available.

Mayor Bruce Smith said that while the council deeply appreciated the $300,000 already given by Government to the council to fund the clean-up, it simply did not go far enough.

“The areas most affected by the landfill washout are Department of Conservation (DOC) land,” Smith noted. Overall, DOC land comprises 86 per cent of the Westland district.

“This area is part of a World Heritage site - a major tourism asset that brings considerable financial benefit to all of New Zealand. With a very small ratepayer base of only 6,500 households, we cannot financially sustain this clean-up operation, even with the assistance Government has already provided.”

Smith said the Council has requested that Government consider every option for further financial assistance, or, alternatively, that a Government agency/department take the lead and the financial responsibility for the remainder of the Fox River Clean-up Recovery Operation.

“The Westland District Council continues to experience financial hardship due to the immense cost of the recovery from the March floods,” Mayor Smith said. “The impact of committed unbudgeted expenditure for Recovery Operations, as of 20 May 2019, equates to a 13% rate increase. Our ratepayers simply cannot afford that.”

Smith said that as part of a briefing last week, council instructed management to:

• make a further approach to Central Government to identify any remaining avenues for financial support from Government agencies or departments;

• request that a Government agency or department take the lead, and financial responsibility for the remainder of the Fox River Clean-up Recovery Operation; and that

• council suspend any further Recovery Operation (from close of business Friday 31 May) until the outcome of the above options above are known.

“While we might have to suspend ground operations in the absence of required funding,” Smith said, “council personnel will continue to work with the Department of Conservation to progress development of short, medium, and long term plans, and environmental monitoring requirements, plus identify projected costs to meet tactical objectives.”

Smith accepted that the council has a moral and legal responsibility to continue with the clean-up of the Fox River and coastal beaches. However, he says there was a gap between requirements upon the council and its ability to deliver due to the magnitude of the clean-up and the small ratepayer base expected to pay for it.

“This crisis results from rubbish disposal practices and a lack of environmental awareness that applied more than 40 years ago. Demanding that council accept the greater cost of this recovery ignores the fact that it is simply beyond our means to do so,” he said.”

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