Andy Campbell, Harihari farmer and regional councillor. Photo: LDR / Supplied
Ratepayers who pay for flood protection in the Harihari district are nervously awaiting a consultants' report on revamping the stopbank system that confines the West Coast's Whanganui River.
Local dairy farmer, and West Coast Regional Councillor Andy Campbell told the council's operation committee this week that members of the Whanganui special rating district are not keen on a possible $10 million upgrade that would alter the course of the Whanganui river, near Harihari.
The council has asked the environmental engineering firm Land, River Sea to prepare a report on the Whanganui stopbanks, as the first step in accessing a grant from the government's 'Before the Deluge' fund.
Council chief executive Darryl Lew told the Operations Committee he had asked for a proposal looking at a range of options for re-scoping the flood scheme.
"We need a concept design that's agreed by the council and the community and a rough-order cost; also to be eligible [for funding] we need resource consents in place, if they're needed."
That would not be ready in time to apply for the second tranche of Before the Deluge funding which was due shortly, but could go forward later in Tranche 3, Lew said.
"I'm looking to reconfigure the batting order for that funding …bringing forward the final stages of flood protection for Greymouth and Hokitika because they are consented and ready to go."
Committee chairperson Frank Dooley asked Campbell if he was comfortable with that.
"I don't think there's an appetite for what [the consultants] are proposing [for Whanganui], Campbell replied.
Dooley said that did not matter.
"The obligation of the council is to put the proposal to the rating district, it's then up to them to decide what they want to do."
Council chairperson Peter Haddock noted the Whanganui ratepayers had turned down a $7 million stopbank proposal in the past because it lacked detailed information, and they needed to have all options put to them.
Speaking to LDR after the meeting, Campbell said Whanganui ratepayers were wary of lumbering themselves with big loan repayments.
"It would be a 60/40 deal; the idea is the government would pay $6 million and the ratepayers would pay $4 million over time. But a lot of our ratepayers are getting older, heading for retirement and they're thinking, hell, do we want to burden our farms with a big debt?"
HariHari is about 70km south of Hokitika, on the West Coast. Photo: Google Maps
The council's Whanganui Special Rating District already pays $230,000 a year to maintain the old stop banks, Campbell said.
"So, the capital cost of this new project would be on top of that. The [Harihari] townspeople contribute, but most of the cost falls on about 30 farmers on the river flats."
If they rejected the major revamp of the flood protection system and its costs, the alternative could be a long-term maintenance plan that would see the stopbanks gradually improved, on a pay-as-you-go basis, Campbell said.
"If the government would consider a $200,000-a-year subsidy instead of the grant and loan, it might be more affordable, and landowners could keep up with the river. The issue is maintenance."
The Harihari farmer and councillor is also worried about potential new costs landing on special rating districts because of more stringent audit requirements.
The council's external auditor has asked for a more precise valuation of its major asset - the network of stop banks that protect farms and communities up and down the Coast.
Campbell said the valuation is currently based on an estimate of size and the tonnage of rocks used, for the council's insurers.
"We pay $30,000 a year for insurance and $200,000 for maintenance, so if we get this surveyed will it cut into our maintenance budget, or do we get hit with more costs?"
He and his neighbours have reason to be sceptical about river consultants and big schemes, Campbell says.
In 2022, he reported a hole in the stop bank protecting his farm and others from the Whanganui River.
"That was Waitangi weekend. But the Regional Council faffed around getting consultants' reports and there were delays in getting down there.
"They brought in an outside consultant … they talked about realigning the bank because of the hole - they had six weeks of fine weather to fix it but they didn't. And then it rained. "
The river rose and tore through the gap - destroying 120 hectares of Andy Campell's dairy pasture.
"That was half my farm. We lost fences and races and we're very lucky we didn't lose the herd. Our neighbours had pasture wiped out too, and the cost of fixing the damage would be close to a million dollars."
His company, Bonar Farms Ltd has taken legal action against the Regional Council in the hope of recovering some of those costs.
The damage could have been prevented by some prompt action with a bulldozer to plug the gap, for about $80,000. Campbell says.
"I could have done it myself, but then I'd have been in the gun and ended up in court for doing it without resource consents."
The report from Land River Sea was expected in about a week, and would be closely scrutinised by the Whanganui District ratepayers, Campbell said.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.