Agencies pledge funds to help 140 people still out of their flooded homes

Thursday, 30 September 2021

Stuff visited various members of the Westport community to see how the recovery is going. (Video first published in September 2021)

Elderly residents are the biggest winners of a $3.57 million effort to relieve flood-hit Westport's housing crisis.

Development West Coast (DWC) has pledged $2m for housing for elderly people, $1m for businesses, and $350,000 to set up five former state houses in the town after it experienced widespread flooding in July.

DWC was set up in 2001 with $92m of Government money to offset the impact of the end of native timber milling on the West Coast economy.

Chairwoman Renee Rooney said trustees were keen to support Westport’s recovery as they acknowledged the flooding in July was a significant regional event, which required a coordinated recovery.

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Locals view the rising water in the Buller River during a flood in July.

“It has been a devastating blow to Buller, damaging homes and farms, and causing much disruption to the region.”

About 140 people are still out of their homes in Westport.

Rooney said the flooding left 23 per cent of Westport’s houses in need of repair. Seventy-one homes were severely damaged and deemed unsafe, while 388 needed significant repairs. Nearly $90m worth of insurance claims had been made, and about 140 people were still displaced from their homes.

DWC chief executive Heath Milne said the flooding had a profound impact on the district and its businesses, and had exacerbated pre-existing issues with housing.

“There was already an acute shortage of rental and permanent accommodation in Westport, which has been put under additional stress from displaced residents and the number of tradespeople coming into the district for repair work.”

Housing had been identified as one of the priority areas in the Tai Poutini West Coast Economic Strategy 2050, he said.

“It’s absolutely about economic development. Even before the flooding, the shortage of housing in Westport was impeding businesses’ ability to attract talent.”

The $1m fund for businesses would be set up after consultation with businessowners about their needs.

Milne said $20,000 would be spent analysing how many temporary houses were required.

Roebuck St in Westport is closed to the public as houses are evacuated during the state of emergency in July.

The $2m fund for elderly housing would be used to build new residential units, with priority given those affected by the flood.

Buller District Council chief executive Sharon Mason said five of the council’s 26 pensioner houses in Westport flooded in July.

About 22 people were on the waiting list for pensioner housing, but she expected that to rise because of the flood.

DWC would also contribute $200,000 towards a $1m fund for free insulation and heating grants in conjunction with Community Energy Action Charitable Trust and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Warmer Kiwi Homes.

A Kāinga Ora spokesman said it would donate five houses to displaced residents from one of its site in Christchurch. Construction was due to begin on a new development there and the houses had already been earmarked for refuribishment and relocation.

Moving them to Westport would help address an “acute need”, he said.

“All Kāinga Ora customers in Westport have either been able to return to their home, or have been matched with another that meets their needs, so these homes will be offered to other residents in Westport and will no longer be owned or managed by Kāinga Ora,” he said.

Many of the Kāinga Ora’s 106 homes in Westport were affected by the flooding and all but 21 had already been repaired.

Kāinga Ora would pay for the five extra houses to be moved to Buller District Council-owned land.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment would contribute to the cost of Healthy Homes upgrades and $350,000 from Development West Coast would allow the council to hook them up to amenities.