34 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Westland District Council T T Virginia Wright New CEO keen to make a difference Westland District Council CEO Barbara Phillips: “We want to make sure we’ve got optimum housing to support people coming in...” Barbara Phillips was appointed as CEO of Westland District Council in November 2024, having previously worked on the Coast for seven years, held senior executive positions in the Ministry of Health, and more recently having spent five years in Queensland managing large capital programmes across the state. When she was told about the role by her daughter-in-law, who with Barb’s son had recently settled in Greymouth, it seemed like a natural progression to apply for it. “I looked at it, and I thought this involves all the things I’m really interested in. Really high community focus with an ability to make a difference, and being on the Coast was a real drawcard for me. “The feeling I got from the Coast, from the Mayor and the councillors, was a real sense of energy and wanting to progress and make a difference for Westland,” explains Barb. At the same time as she has concentrated on getting to know those she’s working with and those she’s working for, the people of Westland District, she and the council have been focused on drafting their Long Term Plan (LTP), which lays out their priorities for the next nine years around the three key principles of sustainability, affordability and resilience. Included are the basic amenities we all tend to take for granted: drinking water, grey water and sewage, and stormwater, and Westland District Council is looking at how to upgrade their ageing infrastructure to ensure it remains fit for purpose throughout the district. Having to think about life’s basic necessities doesn’t stop the council knowing what’s needed for the district to thrive, which is why Barb was thrilled with the recent announcement about the Hokitika Airport upgrade, given its importance in driving economic growth and regional development. “The team were working on this long before I came, with a whole range of stakeholders to get it across the line, and we’ve now successfully secured $16 million to upgrade the airport and enhance its operational capabilities, resilience and regional connectivity,” says Barb. It sits alongside another rural (i.e. with a population less than 20,000) council initiative, the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs Westland. Part of the nationwide Community Recovery Programme, it is aimed squarely at the region’s youth, those not in education, employment or training, with a rural focus that recognises it can be more challenging for them to enter the workforce. Rural for them may mean they have limited access to skill-development pathways, including driver licensing and testing facilities, and a lack of access to employers, and this initiative is specifically designed to open up sustainable employment. Additional housing on the Coast is another key plank to growing the district’s potential and encouraging people to live and work there, and the development of the old Hokitika Racecourse site will provide over 100 houses in stages with construction of the first homes set to begin by late this year. “We want to make sure we’ve got optimum housing to support people coming in, so that’s another thing that was being worked on well before I got here, and which has really started to get some traction now. “This whole remote working world has really changed the dynamic and the demographic along the whole Coast and definitely here. You can feel it in Westland, there’s a really positive creative vibe when you drive through all the small towns,” says Barb. For the new CEO, the focus remains on working with the council to make a difference to all of Westland District’s residents. Skill & Experience 0800 TRULINE | www.trulinecivil.com • Sub-division Works • Earthworks & Roading • Pipeline Systems • Water Reticulation Systems • Concrete Structure Works TRU-LINE CIVIL bring these key aspects when partnering on construction projects: We’ll work with you on your project. We’ll bring our skills, knowledge, and reliability to the table. We’ll execute the works with excellence. JOSEPHS.CO.NZ PEOPLE LED PROJECTS PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND QUANTITY SURVEYING PROUD TEAM SUPPORTING WESTLAND DISTRICT COUNCIL Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST?
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