Resource Consent granted for Avery’s stopbank in Westport

12 Jun 2026

The Avery’s stopbank in Westport has been granted Resource Consent from the West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) and Buller District Council (BDC). 

The Avery’s stopbank will provide protection to 30 to 40 properties in the Orowaiti Road area, which are at risk of overflow from the estuary.

It forms part of the larger Lower Orowaiti section of flood protection.
The final decision on the West Coast Regional Council resource consent was reviewed and authorised by an independent commissioner to ensure there was no conflict of interest.

West Coast Regional Council Chief Engineer Peter Blackwood says the Resilient Westport Flood Protection Scheme (WFPS) team is grateful to the consenting authorities for the work they’ve put into processing the application.

“It has been a complex Resource Consent application that has taken a lot of time and effort to reach this point. There have certainly been some twists and turns along the road, where we had to revisit elements of the plans and the science behind it to satisfy ourselves and the consenting authorities’ requests for information,” says Mr Blackwood.

West Coast Regional Council Buller Constituency representative Mark McIntyre welcomes the news.

“This is great for the Westport Flood Protection Scheme team and for the wider community. It has been some time coming but it is another step forward for the project. It’s important for us that the community knows we are really committed to this flood protection scheme, and a lot of work is going into delivering it. We have two other consents being processed and a huge amount of planning and investigation work going on elsewhere,” says Mr McIntyre.

The Avery’s stopbank is being delivered by WCRC. The project team is working through the consent conditions, and a construction start date will be advised at a later date. 

-ENDS- 

For further information please contact:
Resilient Westport Communications team
media@resilientwestport.co.nz 

Background information:

  • The Avery’s stopbank is part of the Lower Orowaiti section.
  • The stopbank length will be about 340 metres. This is reduced from 540 metres earlier indicated, due to the revision of plans.
  • Construction on Avery’s stopbank is expected to take about four months.  
  • Once a start date is locked in, residents in the nearby area will be given around two weeks’ notice of any work happening in their vicinity.  
  • The height will be between 1.1 and 1.5 metres high.
  • Where it travels over a large culvert the height will reach 1.7m
  • The width will be between 15 and 20 metres wide at the base.
  • Rosco Contractors Ltd has been awarded the tender to construct the stopbank and install the culverts, being supplied by Humes.
  • A major culvert requires replacing as part of the work, as well as some smaller culverts. Culvert pipes have been pre-purchased. The team has worked closely with Buller District Council over this part of the process.
  • When construction gets underway, it is expected to involve temporary road closures in the area.
  • In August 2025, some trees were removed along Orowaiti Road to prepare the space for the stopbank once construction gets underway. This preparation will also facilitate the advancement of the remaining areas of the Lower Orowaiti stopbank along Orowaiti Road.