Upcoming Council meetings – July/August 2025

Image: Road to Franz Josef, Clint Trahan

Why stand for local government?

Becoming an elected member for the Westland District Council means that you are the voice for your community. During your time around the Council table, you will make decisions that have an impact now and into the future.

What can you expect as an elected member?

• To be a representative of the community’s voice.
• To influence the setting of council strategy and budgets.
• To monitor council financial and non-financial performance.
• To attend monthly Council meetings and various committee meetings.
• To be an advocate for residents and local initiatives.

Find more information and guidance on our website.

Nomination forms

Nominations for Council close at midday (12 pm) on Friday, 1 August.

Elections will be held for:

• 1 Mayor
• 3 councillors to represent the Hokitika Ward
• 3 councillors to represent the Northern Ward
• 2 councillors to represent the Southern Ward

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.

Nomination forms for each organisation are available on our website.

Grand Opening of the Hokitika Museum

The Hokitika Museum officially reopened on 27 June 2025, welcoming over 520 visitors across its opening weekend. The opening event was attended by Hon. Paul Goldsmith, MP Maureen Pugh, iwi representatives, and community members, and was met with strong public support and enthusiastic feedback.

Although rain forced the opening speeches indoors to the nearby Renton’s Building, the atmosphere remained warm and celebratory. A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony followed outside the museum, led by Mayor Helen Lash, Hon. Paul Goldsmith, and Ngāti Waewae kaumātua Horiana Tootle.

The museum team are extremely proud of what they have achieved and hope the community will enjoy their newly opened museum.

The following day, Saturday, 28 June, the Museum hosted a Family Fun Day, drawing over 350 visitors. The event featured bouncy castles, obstacle courses, games, and other family-friendly activities. A key highlight of the day was the launch of the Talking Wall, an interactive experience where West Coast historical characters “come to life” to tell their stories courtesy of AI.

New service launches with Council to help find lost pets!

We’re excited to have launched our partnership with Doggone as part of this year’s dog registration to bring peace of mind to Westland residents.  Their dedicated text reunite service makes reuniting a lost pet with its owner quick and easy.  Watch the explainer video now and learn how to keep your furry friend safe!

Funding to replace the Totara Rail Bridge link to Ross

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston was welcomed to Ross on Thursday 10 July, where she announced Government funding of up to $1.6 million to replace the Totara River Rail Bridge on the West Coast Wilderness Cycle Trail. This investment comes from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. This is part of the Government’s Tourism Growth Roadmap, which is supporting investment into New Zealand tourism. Minister Upston says, “We want to welcome more visitors to New Zealand, and we want to enable our regional communities to provide a high-quality visitor experience.”

The new bridge is designed to cross the Totara River / lagoon beside and upstream of the current rail bridge.

Right: Hon. Louise Upston with Ross community members and the Westland District Council.

Text and photos: Office of Hon Louise Upston and Westland District Council

What can you do?

Plastic Free July

Looking for ways to break up with plastic this July? We’ve got some quick and easy ideas:

• Use a reusable container as a drink bottle – it doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. If you have a clean jar with a lid, you’ve got a water container.
• Be a rebel at the supermarket and leave your fruit and vegetables loose and put them directly into your reusable bags.
• Take a reusable coffee cup to your local café. Some places will even let you use an ordinary mug from your home or workplace.

Matariki and more – Westland Industrial Heritage Park

The highlight of the last month at the Westland Industrial Heritage Park was the Matariki celebration. We had a reasonable day on Friday, but on Saturday the weather was great and we had a successful day. The night run was especially popular, and once again, the Hokitika Community Trust supplied and installed the lights and lanterns that decorated the track for the “Railway of Light”. The sausage sizzle was also very popular.

A number of our members attended the re-opening of the Museum and followed up the next day, providing a sausage sizzle for the Museum fun day. This was also a fundraiser for the Park.

Like all Incorporated Societies, we have had to review our constitution and bring it into line with the new Incorporated Societies Act. We have done that, and our new constitution is in place. This means bringing lots of our records and procedures into line with the new document. Part of this will be to introduce a new committee structure, and this will be done at our AGM, which will take place at the Park at 7.00 pm on Wednesday, 16 July.

All of the other projects progress slowly as staff and funds allow.

So, I finish with the usual plea for new members. There is no age or gender bias, and we serve many and varied interests. So come for a visit and see what we do and talk to our members. You might see something that interests you.

Contact Information       :

Email:          wihpark@gmail.com

Website:     http://www.westlandheritage.co.nz  

Address:     9 Brian Waugh Lane, Hokitika 7810

Text and images: Bob Gaiger, Westland Industrial Heritage Park

Why Libraries Matter: A Vital Engine of Community Wellbeing

Libraries have long been places to borrow books, but today, they are vital components of our social infrastructure providing spaces that foster connection, curiosity, and wellbeing for all.

The recently released Public Libraries of New Zealand (PLNZ) Community Impact Survey offers strong evidence of this. Across Aotearoa, libraries are driving positive change in communities—socially, culturally, economically, and environmentally. Westland District Library’s results broadly align with national results, with local patrons reporting even higher benefits than the national average in some areas.

For example, 89.6% of Westland survey respondents said the library encouraged their love of reading, slightly higher than the national response at 86.9%. Reading remains one of the most powerful ways to develop empathy, boost literacy, and spark lifelong curiosity. It not only entertains, but it also builds the skills needed for ongoing success in school, work, and everyday life.

What’s Council doing in your town?

Hokitika

• Beach Street toilets – the toilets are being painted and will reopen soon.
• Hokitika racecourse development – Work on the water supply over half-way completed, along with work on the Park Street extension progressing. Power and data/phone cabling has been installed.
• Glass holding and tyre storage bays at the Hokitika Transfer station are being installed. This is a 13 meter by 24 meter concrete pad to create four separate storage bays. Three of these bays will be dedicated to glass collections, while the fourth bay will be used for tyre storage. The tyre storage area will specifically cater to tyres collected by Tyrewise.
• Hokitika cemetery – resealing of the 400-meter section of the road at Hokitika Cemetery, along with the installation of a new drainage system, has been successfully completed. These improvements will enhance the safety, durability, and overall functionality of the road, ensuring it remains in good condition for the future..
• Milltown weirs high level walkway access is in progress. Upon the installation of the walkways, attention will shift to completing the ramps that will connect the walkways to the trail.
• Additionally, the water overflow channel has been widened on both sides to accommodate for increased water flow.

Franz Josef

• Gardens and seating area works – three seating platforms with seats and tables have been installed, timber retaining walls have been installed. New garden plots are being established around the seating area with plantings.
• Watermains upgrades are in progress on Cron Street.
• Water meters are being replaced.

Ross

• Swimming pool – Repair design has been completed and submitted for building consent.
• Watermains upgrades are commencing.

Franz Josef enjoys mid-winter lantern festival

The Franz Josef Lantern Festival has once again brought light and warmth to the mid-winter night, transforming the local school and surrounding bush into a glowing wonderland of colour and community spirit.

In the lead-up to the festival, students at Franz Josef School took part in lantern-making workshops, crafting their own paper lanterns to carry on the night. On the evening of the festival, families gathered for food, drinks, and conversation before joining the lantern parade. At its head was the magnificent Mother Matariki lantern puppet, brought to life by local artist Kate. The procession wound across the school field and into the bush track, where an array of handmade lanterns and light installations awaited.

“It’s become such a special tradition,” said festival co-founder Hannah Mackie. “Seeing the children so proud to carry their lanterns, and watching everyone come together on a winter’s night, is magical.”

What began in 2021 as a small community gathering has now grown into a much-loved annual event. Organisers say the preparation—crafting lanterns, setting up, and working side by side—is just as meaningful as the festival itself.

The team extends heartfelt thanks to Creative Community Schemes, 4 Square Franz Josef, Scenic Hotels, King Tiger, Franz Josef School, and the many volunteers who gave their time and energy to bring this year’s festival to life.

As Hannah puts it: “Let’s keep the light shining.”

Text and images: Rhianna Hughes Eddy