Photo: Supplied / NZTAA landowner whose family farmed near Franz Josef for decades says it is not the best idea to let the river have its way on the south bank, as the Government and councils are now proposing. "These decision-makers in Wellington need to understand all the consequences of flooding the south bank. West Coast Regional Council chairman Allan Birchfield said he had received calls from landowners on the south bank of the Waiho, worried at the long-term proposal to let the river go. Westland Mayor Bruce Smith said if the south bank land were sacrificed, it would have to be on the basis of a fair market valuation and payout to the landowners. "There are about 40 properties involved, there's the airfield, there's about 83 people.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 10, 2021 02:15 UTC