Westport ‘may not be there in 100 years’
ABuller District councillor has suggested Westport might have to be moved further inland as climate change takes hold. The low-lying New Zealand coastal township of 6000 is the hub of the Buller District, which sits between a mountain range to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west, and is bounded by two large rivers.
The council is among others around the country already factoring in the consequences of higher tides and more extreme weather in their long-term planning.
Councillor Phil Rutherford said it was impossible to ignore that the Tasman Sea was getting closer to Westport’s coastal fringes.
At a council meeting last week, when the talk turned to planning for some big-ticket items, Mr Rutherford suggested it might be pointless without some radical thinking such as moving the town further inland.
“My comment was, ‘why would we build something for 100 years to service a town that may not be there in 100 years’.”
Mayor Garry Howard said Westport had some features that made it more susceptible to the effects of climate change.
“Westport is surrounded by the Orowaiti and the Buller rivers, and the sea on the front. We are seeing changes in climate and we are facing the same coastal problem that many towns around New Zealand are facing,” he said. A 2016 Ministry for the Environment report shows that sea levels on the West Coast rose fractionally each year throughout last century. By the year 2090 the region can expect temperatures to rise by up to 3°C, and coastal roads and infrastructure may face increased risk from erosion and flooding.
Mr Rutherford, who has been in Westport since the 1970s, said there was no question things were changing, regardless of any view as to why that might be.
“Is it a result of climate change - that’s the $64 million question, but I closely follow world thinking on these things and I don’t believe we can ignore it.”. RZNI