| Meeting | Date | Time |
| Chief Executive Review Committee
Public Excluded |
Wednesday, 23 March | 4.00 pm |
| Council Meeting | Thursday, 24 March | 11.00 am |
| Planning Committee | Tuesday, 29 March | 3.00 pm |
| Council Meeting | Thursday, 28 April | 1.00pm |
The library might be operating with reduced opening hours, but the library staff are coming up with great ideas to help the community keep entertained.
E-waste recycling at the Hokitika Transfer station is going from strength to strength, with increasing amounts of e-waste collected each month. Locals must have been busy clearing their homes up over the summer break, as February was the best month to date with 529kg of e-waste diverted from landfill.
In total 864kg of e-waste has been sent for recycling – saving on precious landfill space, and reducing the cost of cartage, levies and carbon credits. The real bonus is that the materials – base metal, plastics, and precious metals – are reused in other appliances reducing the need to create more waste through producing new materials.
| November 2021 | December 2021 | February 2021 | Total |
| 155kg | 180kg | 529kg | 864kg |
If you have any of these items lying around looking for something new to do, recycle them at Hokitika Transfer Station.
Photo Credit: Westland District Council
The next triennial local body elections will be held in 2022. Find out about enrolling, standing and voting on our website.
Elections will be held for:
Elections will also be conducted for other organisations within the Westland District Council area. These include the West Coast Regional Council and Development West Coast.
Key dates for the 2022 elections are
| From 13 July | Elections will be advertised and nominations called |
| 15 July | Nominations open |
| 12 August | Nominations close at midday |
| 16 September | Voter packs mailed to electors. Voting opens |
| 8 October | Voting closes at midday. Progress result asap thereafter |
| By 13 October | Official result released |
| From 13 October | Official result advertised |
A candidate handbook for the 2022 triennial election will be prepared and made available on our website by 13 June 2022. Nomination forms will be available in early July 2022.
If you are enrolled as a parliamentary elector you will automatically be placed on council’s electoral roll as a residential elector. If you need to enrol or update existing name or address details on the parliamentary electoral roll, you can do so online at vote.nz or by phoning 0800 36 76 56.
If you pay rates on property within the Westland District Council area but live outside that area you may be eligible to enrol as a ratepayer elector. A copy of the ratepayer enrolment form can be downloaded from our website.
Contact Details:
Electoral Officer
Anthony Morton
Ph 0800 666 048 or email iro@electionz.com
Deputy Electoral Officer
Jenny Kirk
Ph (03) 756 9010 EXT. 778 or email jenny.kirk@westlanddc.govt.nz
Dog registration fees for 2022/2023 are due by 31 July 2022, but you can get ahead of the game by paying a little bit each week before 31 July. By doing this, you can cover the cost of registration. To avoid late fees and infringements, the full registration fees are to be paid in full by the due date.
Contact our Animal Control team to obtain the payment reference for your automatic payment and to make sure all your details are up to date. Phone 03 756 9010 or email dogs@westlanddc.govt.nz.
She’s a prick of a job. But someone’s got to do it …
GorseBusters is Okarito’s annual, Kiwi-as, week-long working bee; clearing gorse and invasive weeds around NZ’s largest unmodified coastal wetland, Okarito Lagoon.
The first go at this back in March 2021 pushed back gorse over some 19km of the lagoon shoreline between the town and Okarito River, and generated a huge amount of positive national media interest for the region as somewhere where we’re all proud of, and together look after, our backyard. About 90 people came and helped out over the week, from all over the country and all around South Westland.
Of course, there’s still heaps more to do – this is a forever job, to keep looking after our backyard.
So, GorseBusters 2: Return of the Pricks is running again in 2022, from Monday April 4th to Saturday 9th inclusive.
The GorseBusters team: Okarito Kayaks, Okarito Sandfly Repellent, and Okarito locals Cameron & Rhianna Hughes-Eddy – lead, equip, accommodate, feed and entertain volunteers from all over the country who’ve signed up to help. This year we’re aiming to host about 80 volunteers each day, from Auckland to Southland, who are coming to get stuck in, working alongside heaps of good buggers from South Westland.
This is all done on the goodwill and support from hundreds of individuals, families and businesses up and down the Coast, and NZ.
If you’re keen to get involved, then you can sign up on our website or just give us a call on 03 753 4014.
We’ll be looking to provide some 1100 meals over the week, so any help with kai is huge – home-baking, a deer off the back paddock or veggies out of the garden will all keep bellies full and energy up, and show good South Westland hospitality to those coming to help from the rest of the country.
She’s a prick of a job. But someone’s got to do it …
Text and image credit – Gorsebusters
Have your say on transforming recycling.
Too much rubbish is ending up in landfills and our environment. The Ministry for the Environment (MFE) are keen to hear your views on three proposals to transform recycling in Aotearoa New Zealand.
MFE is consulting on three proposals to transform recycling.
MFE is moving from talking to doing, from planning to action. Have your say on how we are going to transform recycling.
The consultation closes at 11:59 pm 8 May.
Text and image credit: Ministry for the Environment
Do you have a runny nose, cough, sore throat or other COVID-19 symptoms and need to pick up a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT Test)?
Anyone needing to pick up Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) can find details at https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/community-health-services/community-health/west-coast-dhb-rapid-antigen-testing-rats/.
Before going to a collection site, you must place an order via https://requestrats.covid19.health.nz/ OR free call 0800222478
Testing is free and is available to anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms or is a household contact.
| Clinic | Location | Opening Hours |
| West Coast PHO Office | 163 Mackay Street, Greymouth | Monday – Friday 9.00 am – 4.00 pm |
| Hokitika Health Centre | 59 Sewell Street, Hokitika | Monday – Friday 9.00 am – 4.00 pm |
| WestREAP | 72 Tudor Street, Hokitika | Please call 03 755 8700
Monday – Friday |
| Poutini Waiora | 12 Revell Street, Hokitika | Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 5.00 pm |
| Custom House Area | Gibson Quay, Hokitika | Monday – Sunday 10.00 am – 2.00 pm (Except Public Holidays) |
| Fox Clinic | State Highway 6, Fox Glacier | Call 0800 794 352 to arrange a pick-up time |
| Franz Josef Clinic | 97 Cron Street, Franz Josef | Call 0800 794 352 to arrange a pick-up time |
| Haast Clinic | 5 Tahutahi Road, Haast | Call 0800 794 352 to arrange a pick-up time |
| Hari Hari Clinic | State Highway 6, Hari Hari | Call 0800 794 352 to arrange a pick-up time |
| Whataroa Clinic | Scally Road, Whataroa | Call 0800 794 352 to arrange a pick-up time |
If you’re experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or are a household contact, you can pick up a RAT to test yourself.
Rapid antigen tests (RATs) can be ordered and then collected by:
How to report a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) in My Covid Record
Although the Park remains closed to the public, many members have continued to work on their projects.
For the Mudfish Bush Railway the closure has been an opportunity to maintain our two locomotives. Bessie, our “Kiwi Express is also getting a new paint job. Bruce and Norm discuss the painting before Norm starts work.
The wheels, bogies and brakes have been overhauled and a new driver carriage constructed. All the other passenger carriages have also been maintained and, in some cases, modified. The new “drive-through” shed is taking shape.
Members also continue to undertake regular maintenance of the track, bridges and culverts, including weed control, predator control and landscaping. We are also developing some bush walks in the vicinity of the railway and the picnic areas offer some stunning views of the Park, the airport and the Alps.
As well as the railway, work continues on many other projects including the Big Engine Shed, the Steam Shed, the Museum of Fire, The Livery and several others. A more recent project has been Maria’s collection of sewing machines – some small, some large; some very old and some not so old. She has made most of them come to life and is happy to teach visitors of any age and gender how to use them.
So, when Covid allows, come check us out and as always new members are very welcome
Email: wihpark@gmail.com
Phone 027 629 1935
Web site http://www.rustyrelics.co.nz
Address: 9 Brian Waugh Lane, Hokitika 7810
Text and Photo credit: Westland Industrial Heritage Park
Become a citizen scientist and help to battle New Zealand’s upstream litter problem.
Did you know that most marine litter isn’t a result of human activity out at sea? 80% of marine litter globally starts its journey upstream, from land, meaning we all have a part to play in reducing it!
Despite this huge quantity, there’s very little data on where exactly this litter comes from, or what type of litter is making its way into the ocean through our waterways. Nonetheless, once it reaches the ocean it’s nearly impossible to remove, and the consequences for marine ecosystems, climate change and our own health is huge.
Since ocean conservancy begins with a better understanding of the root causes of ocean pollution, Keep New Zealand Beautiful is proud to launch a new citizen science programme Upstream Battle. With your help, we’ll develop a comprehensive insight into Aotearoa’s litter problem from source to sea.
The programme aims to identify the most common on-land sources and types of litter, utilising volunteers, students, teachers and other citizen scientists of all ages to gather valuable data that in turn will inform action to stop this litter from entering our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.
Help us battle New Zealand’s upstream litter problem!
To get an accurate record from around Aotearoa, we need Upstream Battlers from across the country to collect data and litter from local waterways. We’ll provide you with the resources to gather the data – we just need your help to get this out there!
The programme is aimed at schools, community groups, families and volunteers throughout New Zealand who would like to contribute to the solution. It’s a great opportunity to gain training and experience in citizen science, and the programme links to a diverse range of learning areas in the New Zealand curriculum and United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Sign up to help here.
Upstream Battle is based on a similar citizen scientist programme conducted in Scotland, on the rivers Clyde and Tay. We recently partnered with Keep Scotland Beautiful to share knowledge and programmes for the benefit of the communities on both sides of the globe.
If you have enquiries about Upstream Battle, we’d love to hear from you. Email us or give us a call on 0800 TIDY KIWI and we’ll be able to help.
Text and image credit: Keep New Zealand Beautiful
Everyone enjoying the beautiful waters of Lake Kaniere expects to be able to do so safely, and expects other users to be courteous and considerate. To support that, there are rules in place to set minimum safety standards which all water users must comply with.
As with all navigable waters in NZ, the Maritime Transport Act 1994 and Maritime Rules apply. Part 91 (Navigation Safety) and Part 22 (Collision Prevention) in particular apply to recreational boating. The Act and all Rules can be found linked from maritimenz.govt.nz.
There are also five reserved recreational areas at Lake Kaniere as shown on the plan below. Three reserved areas are for water skiing or similar towed water sports and two reserved areas are for swimming, paddled and rowed craft and similar passive activities. At the request of the local community and after extensive public consultation these reserved areas have replaced two water ski access lanes. The five reserved areas came into force on 26 December 2017 pursuant to Maritime Rules Part 91.12(1)(b) as notified in the NZ Gazette on 23 November 2017.
Signage has been placed around the Lake to describe expected behaviours within these reserved areas and on the lake generally. Made for New Zealand boaties, MarineMate is a smartphone app that allows you to access information on tide times, boat ramp locations, VHF channels, and local boating rules for the whole country, all in the palm of your hand. You do not need cell phone coverage to be able to use the app once you have down-loaded it, and the interactive map helps you identify the zone boundaries. Click on each zone or boat ramp within the app for further detail.
Maritime NZ takes all reports of unsafe activity on the lake very seriously. If you have witnessed anything that you believe to be unsafe behaviour on the lake please call 0508 22 55 22 and ask for Regional Compliance—Southern or use the enquiry form online. If we don’t know about unsafe behaviour we can’t do anything about it. This information also helps us monitor the effectiveness of the existing controls in place at the lake. To report an accident or harm, call Rescue Coordination Centre NZ on 0508 47 22 69 or online at www.maritimenz.govt.nz/report-online.
Text and image credit – Maritime New Zealand
