Westland District Mayor and Councillors pictured after their first meeting of the new triennium.
Back Row From left to right: Cr Greg Maitland, Kw Francois Tumahai, Cr Joseph Walker, Cr Euan Mackenzie, Cr Janella Munns, Kw Paul Madgwick , Cr Brian Manera.
Front Row: Cr Steven Gillett, Deputy Mayor Reilly Burden, Mayor Helen Lash, Barbara Phillips (Chief Executive), Cr Carol Martin.
Learn more about the Councillors here:Mayor and Councillors
October 23rd marked the Inaugural council meeting marking the start of a new triennium focused on service delivery, stronger planning and infrastructure investment, and rebuilding community trust.
At the inaugural meeting, Councillors made their statutory declarations, Councillor Burden was appointed Deputy Mayor, and the Standing Orders, Code of Conduct, and relevant governance documents were adopted.
You can watch a recording of the Inaugural council meeting here: Westland District Council – YouTube
You can sign up for our council E-text service to receive text notifications about water shut downs, road closures and other alerts in your area. Head to the council website to register your phone number Signup for text message alerts | Westland District Council please use a New Zealand mobile number.
Can You Help Us Find Benno Thiem’s Portraits?
A Quiet Eye: The Photographs of Benno Thiem
“Secure the shadow… ’ere the substance fade let nature imitate what nature has made” was the promise of early photography — to hold onto what time would soon be lost. For nearly thirty years, photographer Benno Thiem quietly fulfilled that promise in Hokitika.
Born in Australia around 1879, Thiem arrived in Hokitika in 1906 and took over John Tait’s photographic studio on Revell Street, later moving it to Hamilton Street. From those modest rooms, he recorded the evolving life of a small West Coast town — its people, its streets, its celebrations, and its everyday moments.
Thiem’s photographs capture the warmth and character of early Hokitika. His portraits show both artistry and affection for his subjects — individuals and families who helped shape the town’s story. One surviving hand-coloured image, taken to mark the end of the First World War, shows Eric Raine (aged 10) and Dell Raine (aged 4) dressed in handmade uniforms sewn by their mother Evelyn (Eva) Raine (née Sweney). The children’s parents, George and Evelyn Raine, lived on Revell Street — George worked as a carpenter and builder and played in the Hokitika Brass Band, while Evelyn was a homemaker. Together, they represent the spirit of family and community pride that Thiem so often captured through his lens.
This summer, Hokitika Museum is preparing a new exhibition, A Quiet Eye: The Photographs of Benno Thiem, celebrating his remarkable contribution to the region’s photographic history.
We’re inviting local residents to check their family collections — do you have any portraits taken by Benno Thiem? These may have his stamp or signature on the print or card mount. The Museum would love to hear from anyone willing to loan such photographs for inclusion in the exhibition.
If you think you might have a Thiem image, please contact Hokitika Museum on (03) 755 6898 or email enquiries@hokitikamuseum.nz
Help us bring Benno Thiem’s quiet eye — and the faces of early Hokitika — back into the light.
CCS helps to fund local arts projects. Each year Creative New Zealand provides funding to city and district councils to distribute in their area. The scheme supports more than 1,800 projects every year.
The scheme aims to create opportunities for local communities to engage with, and participate in local arts activities, for example:
For an application form or to find more info visit: Creative Communities Scheme – Applications | Westland District Council
NOMINATIONS are invited for Westland District Creative Communities Committee
Nomination forms are available online here : Form
Nominations close on the 30th November 2025
For enquiries please contact: communities@westlanddc.govt.nz
Lucretia Maitland 027 321 1816
Council Offices, 36 Weld Street, Hokitika
Westland Anniversary – 1st December Council offices will be closed.
Christmas Hours:
Building
The statutory timeframes (working days) for processing of Building Consents are paused from 20 December 2025 to 10 January 2026 in accordance with the Building Act 2004.
While the team will continue to process consents, please note that during this period, these dates are excluded from the statutory twenty working day deadline required for processing consents. As a result, any application submitted between 20 December 2025 and 10 January 2026 will be considered as being received on 11 January and the statutory processing time starts from this date.
Planning
The statutory timeframes (working days) for processing of Resource Consents are paused from 20 December 2025 to 10 January 2026 in accordance with the Resource Management Act 1991.
While the team will continue to process consents, please note that during this period, these dates are excluded from the statutory twenty working day deadline required for processing consents. As a result, any application submitted between 20 December 2025 and 10 January 2026 will be considered as being received on 11 January and the statutory processing time starts from this date.
Alcohol Licensing
As Christmas is approaching, if you need an alcohol licence before Christmas or New Year, please note that the timeframes to enable applications to be processed are paused from 20 December 2025 to 15 January 2026 in accordance with the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.
While the team will continue to process consents, please note that during this period, these dates are excluded from the statutory twenty working day deadline required for processing consents. As a result, any application submitted between 20 December 2025 and 15 January 2026 will be considered as being received on 11 January and the statutory processing time starts from this date.
Local Government Official Information Requests (LGOIMA)
The statutory timeframes (working days) for processing of LGOIMA are paused from 20 December 2025 to 10 January 2026 in accordance with the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
Land Information Memorandum (LIM)
The statutory timeframes (working days) for processing of LIM’s requests are paused from 20 December 2025 to 10 January 2026 in accordance with the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987. To ensure your request is processed before this date requests must be in by December 5th.
Westland Waste Services
Westland Anniversary Day
Christmas Day
New Year’s Day
Franz Josef Transfer Station closed 26th Dec and 2nd Jan
Whataroa Transfer Station no changes
Fox Transfer Station closed 26th Dec and 1st of Jan.
Haast Transfer Station no changes
Emergency Calls Only – Water/Sewerage/Drainage/Roading/Animal Control
Westland District Library, 20 Sewell Street, Hokitika
| Thursday 25 December 2025 through to Sunday 4 January 2026 | CLOSED |
Hokitika Museum, Hamilton Street
| Thursday 25 December /Friday 26 December | CLOSED |
| 27,28,29,39,31 December | OPEN |
| 1 & 2 January | CLOSED |
| 3,4,5, 6,7,8,9 | OPEN |
Hokitika Westland isite
Hokitika Swimming Pool
Hokitika Racecourse
The Hokitika Racecourse Infrastructure acceleration project is nearing completion, with chip seal applied to the Park street extension over the last week. The curbs and footpaths linking the existing Park street into the Park street extension has also been completed. Asphalt has been scheduled to go down from 12 November, weather permitting, with landscaping and street furniture the last bits to go in. The bad weather during September and October delayed the completion of the project, however with the forecast looking much better for November, the anticipated completion date is end of November 2025
Ross Swimming Pool structural strengthening and pool heating system upgrade
Some RFI’s has come through for the building consent for the Ross swimming pool strengthening project, and these are currently being worked through. Physical works are planned to start in March 2026
The concept design for the upgraded heating system at the Hokitika Swimming pool is currently being done and is anticipated to be completed by middle of November.
Blue Spur Water Treatment Plant
Final commissioning is underway on the purpose-built chlorination building for the Blue Spur Water Treatment Plant. Along with meeting compliance rules for storage of hazardous substances, the new separate building allows for additional chlorine gas to be stored on site to improve resilience against delivery holdups.
Water Meters – Franz Josef
Final installation and remedial works in Franz Josef to be completed by the end of November.
Haast-Jackson Bay Road Repair
After recent severe weather closing part of Haast-Jackson Bay Road extensive reinstatement works took place to reopen the road.
Council would like to thank the public for their patience during the road closures here and also thank the Contractors for working to reopen his road as quickly and efficiently as they have.
These slips have been a continual source of concern and frustration for this section of road since they originally started moving in 2015/2016. They do stabilise over time but are highly susceptible to extremes of weather like what we have been experiencing over the last couple of years. The nature of the ground above means there really isn’t anything we can do to safely and efficiently reduce the volume of material still yet to come down. Ultimately this has become a long term challenge that we will need to keep coming back to as required.
The below images depict before during and after of the work completed and highlight the great work involved by the contractors!
Slip 1 & 2 before clean up
Slip 1 before clean up
Slip 2 before clean up
Clean up works
After Clean up
After Clean up
After Clean up
Westland District Council welcomes the next stage of resilience improvements on State Highway 6 (SH6) at the Epitaph Slip site near Knights Point, a project that strengthens one of the South Island’s most important transport corridors and safeguards long-term access for communities, freight operators, and visitors.
Today’s announcement marks a major milestone in what has been a long and complex journey to secure a safer, more resilient route through South Westland.
SH6 is a strategic freight and tourism corridor, connecting the West Coast with Otago and Southland and supporting travel between iconic destinations such as Franz Josef, Fox Glacier, Wānaka, Queenstown, and Milford Sound. It is a vital route for freight, primary industries, emergency response, visitor movement, and the daily lives of West Coast communities. At the same time, it remains one of the most exposed stretches of highway in the country.
The resilience programme at Epitaph Slip provides greater certainty for the region and directly addresses one of the most persistent natural-hazard challenges on the network.
Westland District Council has been a strong advocate throughout this process, continually emphasising the urgent need to protect the only southern road link into and out of the district. Council also acknowledges Hon Simeon Brown, whose direction during his term as Minister of Transport helped accelerate attention on this critical section of the network following a visit to the Coast.
Mayor Helen Lash says the upgrade reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the region’s resilience and supporting the communities and industries that rely on SH6 every day.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the Government for recognising the importance of this corridor to the South Island’s tourism network and wider economy.
This has taken a concerted effort between the Ministry, NZTA and myself over a number of years to reach this point.
Securing these works provides real confidence and security for the West Coast, ensuring our communities remain connected, our businesses can operate with certainty, and our region stays resilient well into the future.”
The improvements at Epitaph Slip form part of a wider programme to build long-term resilience across SH6. As climate impacts intensify, investment in safe and reliable infrastructure becomes increasingly essential for the region’s economic stability and community wellbeing.
Westland District Council will continue working closely with NZTA, central government, and local partners to progress long-term solutions and maintain a secure, accessible transport network for generations to come.
A message from Barry Hughes Organiser:
Winner of the NZ Biosecurity Community Award, GorseBusters is an annual, Kiwi-as, week-long working bee to keep the shores of the beautiful Ōkārito Lagoon, pristine. Good buggers from all over the country get fed, led, equipped, housed and entertained for the week, to help look after this awesome backyard of ours.
Any help welcome, from feeding hungry volunteers, driving boats to drop off GorseBusters on the lagoon, to joining us on NZ’s largest unmodified coastal wetland to deal to some gorse. Come join the team, for NZ’s prickliest but most satisfying beach holiday.
Keen to come help out? Find us with the QR code, or at gorsebusters@okarito.co.nz Monday 23rd March to Saturday 28th
March 2026
| Meeting | Purpose of Meeting | Date | Time |
| Council Meeting | Ordinary Business | Thursday, 27 November 2025 | 1:00 pm |
| Council Meeting | Ordinary Business | Thursday, 18 December 2025 | 1:00 pm |
Please note, the Council meeting will start with a Publicly Excluded item. The Ordinary Council meeting will follow at approximately 1.30 pm.
