Changes Down-Under - a small town perspective

Recently my partner, Pam returned home to Hokitika, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

This is what she noticed.

Reflections from Hokitika

by Pam Crisp

Environmental Education Consultant

Last week I revisited Hokitika, my old home town, after an absence of four long years. 

The weather for mid-June was unseasonally warm, the skies overcast and sunless. 

Meanwhile east of the Alps in Canterbury, a severe easterly wind was whipping up a rain storm, bringing yet more flooding to afflicted Cantabrians - a reversal of normal trends.

Normally at this time of year you'd expect to cozy down under quilts and blankets for a good night's sleep. 

Not this time. 

My friend and I both complained of high humidity, of feeling hot, and interrupted sleep.

Hardly a trace of snow was visible on the Southern Alps, traditionally snow-covered at this time of year.

“Oh it’s just that the rain has washed the snow away- it’ll be back again with the next good southerly” was the comment from a local friend.

Noticeable from the beach was a huge rock barrier erected by the local council along the length of the beachfront to protect the town from increasing coastal erosion.

“Oh, it’s just part of a seven year cycle – we always see this. The sea comes up and then it retreats back” said another local.

Further south, local farmers and rural communities are still dealing with the after-effects of the severe gales that lashed the region in an unprecedented autumn storm, taking out thousands of majestic totara and kahikatea trees and changing forever the natural character of South Westand’s flood plain valleys – gateway to the South-West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

One thing hadn’t changed, through – the supermarket car park, chokka with cars and 4WD’s. New World Hokitika is the one-stop-shop for shoppers from Hokitika to Haast, and boy, do they pay for it. The lack of competition, and the cost of freighting produce in to this isolated region reveals an economic model dominated by large chain store monopolies at work.

A 12.5 % rates increase was recently announced for the West Coast, in an attempt to levvy yet more funding one of NZ’s most ageing and under-employed populations.

Kiwis - get down to the Coast and enjoy it while you can. And get in behind a campaign to get our country and our people on track to a more resilient future, and awake to the immediate reality confronting us now.