Council to consult community on funding options for stormwater outlets and mobile pumps for Westport flood protection

Council will consult the Buller community in 2026 about funding options for the stormwater outlets and mobile pumps that will form part of Westport’s flood protection scheme.

Following the July 2021 flood, a business case for co-investment in Westport’s resilience was made to government, which resulted in a $22.9m package of support and the establishment of Resilient Westport.

Group Manager Infrastructure Services Anthony Blom says: “The business case included, along with the construction of stopbanks, a funding allocation for outlet upgrades and stormwater pumps that integrate with the stopbanks, however, the outlet and pump funding wasn’t ultimately included by central government while the previous Three Waters reforms were underway.”

In October 2025, it was announced that the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF), which is administered by Government agency Kānoa, will fund $5,271,735 (60%) of the work if council funds up to $3,494,490 (40%), with a total project cost of $8,766,225 for the outlets along the flood walls and the mobile pumps.

The RIF funding will require confirmation before the end of the 2025/26 financial year. However, at yesterday’s council meeting, councillors felt that the community needed to have input regarding the co-funding of this project.

Council has requested that staff run a consultation in early 2026, with the intention of obtaining a decision which takes the co-funding into consideration. This result will be taken to Kānoa before the end of June 2026.

Buller District Council has been working on solutions to the issue of integrating stormwater upgrades with the flood protection scheme. In September 2024, council’s Infrastructure Services team began working on a Stormwater Strategy and associated delivery plan for Westport that included outlets running through the proposed stopbank, along with mobile pumps and detention ponds.

“In November 2024, an application was submitted to the RIF for $17.5m worth of funding for this stormwater management infrastructure. The project was signalled in council’s 2025-2034 Long-Term Plan (LTP), which was adopted this year, but was not specified as a consultation topic as the expectation at that time was for the work to be externally funded in full,” explains Mr Blom.

The stopbank component of the overall Resilient Westport programme is currently ongoing, with West Coast Regional Council undertaking all aspects of that work.

A significant section which requires an outlet upgrade is due for delivery in the New Year and those outlets can be funded from existing budgets and/or bringing budgets forward to allow the work to progress.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz 

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.