Jamie Cleine

Westport has been cut off by heavy rain and parts of the town are braced for evacuation.

A week after the last flooding in the Buller region, 160 millimetres of rain overnight rain has caught locals… Audio

West Coast residents breathed a sigh of relief over the weekend, with earlier dire weather not causing the damage expected.

But heavy rain is predicted again for Buller and Westland from tomorrow.

… Audio

It's been another tough day for those on the West Coast as the red heavy rain warning remained in place. Last night Westport residents were urged to self-evacuate and today Civil Defence ordered a… Audio

Go now and stay away - Westport residents have been told to move out as torrential rain hammers the region.

Police and volunteers have been going door to door ordering people to leave flood-prone… Video, Audio

Evacuations have been ordered for low-lying parts of Westport.

The Buller District Council mayor Jamie Cleine talks to Māni Dunlop about the weather situation on the West Coast Audio

Residents in Buller continue to be warned evacuations are very possible in coming days.

The heavy rain is expected to ramp up today and continue through to the weekend.

A state of emergency is in… Audio

A state of emergency was declared in Buller this afternoon due to heavy rain. Residents have set up sandbags and were urged to prepare getaway bags in preparation for evacuations. Mayor Jamie Cleine… Audio

As the traffic light system kicks in today, local councils around the country have had to make some tough decisions about how to meet the needs of locals, and keep everyone safe.

Gisborne District… Audio

Almost three months after floodwaters ravaged the coastal town of Westport, 140 people remain in temporary accommodation, living in cabins, motels or with friends and family.

Around 450 homes remain… Audio

The West Coast is falling behind when it comes to uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine, sitting stubbornly low at 71 percent for first jabs.

That compares poorly to the rest of Te Wai Pounamu where the… Audio

Housing is identified as a critical issue for Westport as it rebuilds from severe flooding. Today the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited flood-hit Westport, where 100 homes have been deemed… Audio

Some normality is returning to Westport as schools reopen in the town, just over a week on from its devastating floods.

Around 100 homes have been red stickered - meaning they are uninhabitable, and… Audio

Some routine is also returning to Westport with its three main schools welcoming back students tomorrow.

 Around 100 homes have been red stickered, another 400 yellow stickered and the clean up is… Audio

Efforts continue in Westport today to find shelter for hundreds of people displaced by serious flooding.

Eighty-nine homes in the town have been red-stickered, and for 95 people, Westport South… Audio

Sixty-five homes in Westport have been red stickered after the weekend's devastating floods, meaning residents can't return home. Just over 300 have been yellow stickered and about 1800 have no or… Audio

The mayor of Buller estimates up to 100 people could be left without a home following the weekend's flooding on the West Coast.

While over 2000 people have been cleared to return home, more than 100… Video, Audio

Residents evacuated in flood-hit Buller are still reeling this morning.

Close to a thousand people had to flee to evacuation centres and at least one hundred homes have been flooded.

Jamie Cleine is… Audio

From the West Coast is the Mayor of Buller, Jamie Cleine. Audio

More than 600 homes have been evacuated in Westport as the Buller River threatens to breach its banks. Kim Hill spoke with Buller District Council Mayor Jamie Cleine in Westport, where voluntary… Audio