| Risk and Assurance Committee | Thursday 11 May, 1pm |
| Cycling and Walking Subcommittee | Thursday 18 may, 3pm |
| Council Meeting | Thursday 25 May, 1pm |
| Extraordinary Meeting – Annual Plan 2023/2024 Hearing | Wednesday 7 June, 9am Will continue to Thursday 8 June if necessary. |
| Council Meeting | Thursday 22 June, 1pm |
| Extraordinary Council Meeting – Adopt the Annual Plan 2023/2024 | Friday 30 June, 3pm |
Cover image: Okarito Lagoon, Richard James on Flickr
Staff in the Land Transport team are working on developing a parking strategy for Westland, looking particularly at issues in the Hokitika CBD area. Later in the year residents and other members of the public will have an opportunity to share their thoughts about how parking should be managed.
Some of the initial observations made by the team are:
Watch out for your opportunity to comment later in the year.
Photo: Westland District Council
Make your submissions on the Westland District Council Draft Annual Plan 2023/2024 before 4pm on Friday 26 May 2023. No late submissions will be accepted.
This year we are asking ratepayers to consider:
The Consultation Document and draft Annual Plan are available online, and in hard-copy at Council reception and Westland District Library.
Submissions can be made online; emailed to consult@westlanddc.govt.nz; or made over the phone on 03 756 9010.
Council’s Rating Information Database (RID) is available for public viewing on our website in the month of May. There is no fee to view the database.
The database is available for inspection at any time, or call into the Council’s Customer Service Centre, 36 Weld Street, Hokitika, during opening hours.
The RID contains district-wide valuation details, property rating classifications and any current targeted rates the property may be liable for. It does not give owner or ratepayer details.
Please note that the purpose of the RID is to allow people to check what rate types and differentials have been applied to their account for a particular rating year. The figures displayed on the RID should not be used as confirmation of the actual rates charged / payable on a property but are indicative of proposed future rates at a given point in time.
When erecting signage, there are rules in the Westland District Plan that you need to understand.
One of the most important rules to follow is that signs must relate to an activity or facility in the Westland District and be erected where that activity is or at the facility. There are also rules about the size and number of characters and words.
The rules are in place to ensure that signage throughout the district is appropriate. Signage that could be considered distracting to drivers is also a safety hazard that Council is required to manage.
The rules can be found on Council’s website.
A duty planner is available daily. You can contact them at planning@westlanddc.govt.nz or 03 756 9010.
The council will be reviewing the compliance of signage in the Franz Josef area soon. We will be working with the owners of signs to educate them on the District Plan rules for signage.
The West Coast Wilderness Trail Trust welcomed Ross Ormsby to assist with the preparation of an accessible ride guide for the trail. Ormsby is the first known tetraplegic to ride the entire trail.
Following a rugby injury at just 16 years old, Ormsby (55) lost the use of his body below his shoulders. Describing himself as an adventurous person, Ross was totally inspired by the experience the West Coast Wilderness Trail was able to provide for him and others challenged by access issues.
“It makes life worth living. It is so, so important to have access to these special places. Your spirit desires to be in them but your body restricts you. I can’t move my hands or roll over in bed, but with the right equipment, support and how well this trail was built and is maintained, I was able to get into, what for me, is the back country. It is mind-blowing. It opens up a world of possibilities. The scenery is stunning. These are places I shouldn’t get to go but when you do it, it is just ‘wow’.”
The Trust has already mapped, with photographs and measurements, most of the pinch points they could identify on the trail. This includes all the bridges and narrow sections.
The end product will be a hardcopy and electronic guide together with video and still imagery for communicating the accessibility of the trail. The aim is for those planning to ride the trail to be able to make their own assessment of the sections they can ride and the help they will need.
“The Wilderness Trail is very accessible which is probably surprising given its very remote sections” Trail Manager Mrs Gurden reported. “Not only do we want people with all sorts of special access needs to ride it, we hope the project will also help build mental wellbeing and even promote confidence building. If our trail can be used as a tool to help and provide enjoyment, we are really keen to invest the time and resources to enable that.”
Text and photos: West Coast Wilderness Trail Trust
John Wood Wilderness Trail Chair, Ross, and Jackie Gurden Wilderness Trail Manager
Ross on West Coast Scenic Waterways Cruise
Ross with Precision Helicopters in the helicopter
Top of the Kawhaka Pass
Ross at West Coast Treetop Forests & Walkway
Let’s Play Hokitika – Kia Tākaro, a sub-group of the Hokitika Community Trust are fundraising additional funds for the Cass Square playground upgrade. Any funds raised will offset the cost to ratepayers.
Find out more about donating here.
Photo: Westland District Council
Kararaina TeIra has been the director at Hokitika Museum for over 2 years and will be leaving in June to take up a fantastic opportunity at Ngā Taonga – New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound. There she will be joining the executive leadership team as Pou Kohinga Taonga – Group Manager Collection Management.
Starting in 2021 leading the Museum through its redevelopment era, Kararaina has delivered many projects, from an exciting new rebrand and website to the planning for the revamped Hokitika Museum and associated facilities. Over her two years, Kararaina has worked hard at making connections with the communities across the West Coast, funders and cultural heritage advocates. 2022 saw a substantial upgrade to the Museum’s collection management system where records have been transferred to a robust collection database. This will easily connect the community with their taonga by enabling most of the museum’s collection to be available online.
Kararaina’s strong leadership, can-do attitude, and enthusiasm has rubbed off on the Museum Team, leaving a positive vision for the future.
Kararaina would like to share this:
‘Tēnā koutou katoa. Being a part of a wonderful team that cares for and uplifts the cultural heritage of Te Tai o Poutini has been a wonderful opportunity. Thank you to all those who have supported me. Special thanks to Te Hono o Ngā Waka, WestREAP, Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, Heritage Hokitika Executive Team and Westland District Library.’
Congratulations Kararaina, we wish you all the best in your new role.
Text and photo: Kararaina TeIra
Westland District Council Building Consent customers can apply for a consent through Objective Build from 8 May 2023, a new service designed to create consistency, transparency, and quality in building applications.
This new system has been built after interviews with over a hundred builders, architects, designers, and industry professionals across New Zealand to ensure it meets their needs. It improves the ability to reuse information across applications, clearly see the status of an application, action required updates, and manage a consent throughout the lifecycle.
The online platform is the first release of Objective Build, which aims to create a complete consenting system for New Zealand. The platform will connect seamlessly to backend council systems, allowing New Zealand to work across a single platform. Building and Construction industry professionals will have one account to handle all applications, instead of the multiple accounts they currently have.
The support team can be reached on build.support@objective.com or 0800 024 508 and they are available Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.
Congratulations to Bishow Tripathee of Westroads for graduating with a Master of Engineering in Project Management degree with first class honours from the University of Auckland this month.
Bishow joined Westroads as the Project Manager for Road Maintenance from the Waipa District Council in 2021 and has been adjusting to life on the West Coast.
Born and raised in Nepal, Bishow immigrated to New Zealand in 2016 to further his career and qualification aspirations and in 2021 enrolled with the University of Auckland to begin his Master’s degree.
Westroads are proud of Bishow’s achievement and the commitment he has put into his studies while working full time.
Text and Image: Westroads Ltd
The NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards celebrates the innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial excellence of New Zealand’s rural communities. The calibre of this year’s entries indicates that living and working rurally need not be an impediment to achieving excellence across a wide range of sectors.
In 2022 Dayna and Nicole Buchanan, owners of the Craypot in Jackson Bay were awarded the Bountiful Table award.
Entries are now open for the 2023 awards in the following categories:
Entries close on Friday, 28 July 2023. Find out more on the Rural Women NZ website.
Photo by Sabina Sturzu on Unsplash
