Waiho River stopbank to be rebuilt after reconsideration

The West Coast Regional Council has given the the go-ahead to rebuild the Waiho River stopbank destroyed in flooding two weeks ago. The regional council had been considering removing the stopbanks at Franz Josef and letting it revert to its old flood plain, potentially swallowing up thousands of hectares of farmland. The Westland District Council and locals were vehemently opposed to the idea. Regional councillor Allan Birchfield told Kate Gudsell it is the right thing to do.