About eighty Franz Josef locals and businesses owners have had their say on whether the West Coast town should be shifted away from a major fault line.
Franz Josef township, as seen from Wallace Street. Photo: Google Maps
The town, which and sits on the Alpine Fault and next to the flood-prone Waiho River, is home to 221 ratepayers but gets more than half a million visitors a year.
A report commissioned by the West Coast Regional Council, released in November, analysed three options for how the town could deal with the risks of the fault line and the river - one includes shifting the township by about 10km to Lake Mapourika.
The other options involved moving some assets away from the fault line or undertaking other flood protection measures.
Council chief executive Mike Meehan said the report was the most comprehensive assessment undertaken of the challenges for the township and would inform decision making at a local and national level.
"While there is no one solution that will address all of the issues facing Franz Josef, combinations of these options will help to protect the community and the value at stake here," said Mr Meehan.
The council will now analyse the feedback before developing a business case for the best way forward.
"The feedback received will assist with determining which of the packages, or options within the packages, to take forward and develop into a business case to take to Government to discuss further," said Mr Meehan.
