Summer with the Mayors: Jamie Cleine

Situated on the scenic west coast of the South Island is Buller, full of walks from inland at the Buller Gorge and old coal mine sites, to along the coastline passing countless beaches and estuaries. 

Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine joins with how the year has been for Buller. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk zed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
What's happening in your neck of the woods?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Summer?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Were the mares?

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Situated on the scenic west coast of the South Island
is Buller and that's our next stop as we work
our way around the country for summer with the mayors.
There are lots of walks from inland at the Buller
Gorge and old coal mine sites, or along the coastline
at various beaches and estuaries, and Buller District Mayor Jamie
Kline is with me. Now, good morning, Good morning Tim.

(00:44):
So Buller, there's a lot to do in Buller. What
would you recommend?

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Oh, look, there is heaps to do in Buller. And
we've got so much diversity from the coast down here
in west Sport and northern Buller right through to inland
to Reef and some more of that for the inland
mountainous experience, so heaps to look at. I would recommend
the latest thing into early twenty twenty five, Origin ere
starting a brand new flight direct from Wellington into Westport Airport.

(01:12):
You can come in late in the afternoon on a Friday,
spend the long weekend or a long weekend or the
weekend in west Sport and surrounds, get a rental curR
at the airport and then they'll come and pick you
up again late afternoon on a Sunday. So perfect chance
to come from big Smoke and chill out down here
in Buller.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
How how much of a big deal is that?

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Look, I mean it's huge. I mean we've had connectivity
with sounds here until when they still find now so
that service is stopping. But yeah, so origin here is
a larger aircraft twin engine and really opens up opportunities
for sort of larger groups corporates for that matter, to
come down and have a weekend experience down here in Buller.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Is it something that's going to make a big difference.
I mean, imagine a bullerlike everywhere, has had a tough
time in the last over twenty twenty four. Is this
something that businesses are really hanging out for a bit
more traffic?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Oh? Look, I think so, like from a commercial point
of view as well for a business community obviously the
mining sector, the ability to connect to to central government
easily is really important for those sort of key industries,
but tourism and keeping families connected and things like that
is also really important to have a suitable air link.
But of course a lot of people choose to drive in,

(02:30):
you know, the drive either coming down from from Nelson Tasman,
or up the coast or over the Lewis Path to
out from christ Church. So there's plenty of entry points
to the coast. But yeah, but the air service is
a really important one and an exciting one for people.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Na sure, I think getting there is half the fun
with your drive or flights. The scenery is pretty spectacular,
isn't it.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah, it's just magnificent coming down you know, the Bull
of Gorge. You're following one of the New Zealand's largest
rivers from near Saint Anna there all the way down
to Wisport where it discharges to the sea, and so
you know, a great opportunity people can keep coming back
as well. So, especially on a weekend scenario where you've
cratched with fly into west Sport, we'll drive you know,

(03:10):
base yourself in Westport and perhaps choose to head south
and check out you know, the Fox River markets on
a Sunday, or carry on down to Puna Kayki brand
new visitor center there that's been about four years in
the making, opened officially a couple of weeks ago. It's
absolutely stunning, you know that sort of one day and
you can easily spend another day or so heading north
to Northern Buller, out to Granity and further north out

(03:33):
to Cadimere as well. Some great opportunities are there.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Particular events happening over the summer.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, there's a man certainly of a Christmas New Year
and early early into January is a sort of harness
racing and racing season here. So there's big racing events
Boxing Day and and the twenty eighth and then in
briefed in on the thirtieth of December, but you know,
hit further on into into January, you get into a
MP show season. Early February, there's a Northern Buller Arts

(04:01):
Trail where all the artisans out in that area are
opening their doors for people to go and check out
things like that. So yeah, lots of that obviously, lots
of beaches and things for people just to have a
wander on. And probably most famously at the moment around
Wisport is the Calor Pierry Coastal Trail which is linking
wist Book to Charleston, so really amazing a trail where

(04:23):
you can drop in and out of it, just through
small sections or the whole thing if you like, and
come back to town and have a West Coast pie
co wild game pie and a beer at a short
Draw brewery.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
So sorted.

Speaker 3 (04:37):
Hopefully I'm doing well at getting all that businesses.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
You might have just about solved my summer holiday. A
question that where we're going to take the family? Where
are you going to escape to?

Speaker 3 (04:47):
Look, I'll be around. I'll be checking out the race
meetings over the Christmas New Year period and I might
pop away for a few days out of the district.
But yeah, the job of a mere usually keeps you
fairly close to home.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
What about twenty twenty five? What are the goals that
you want to achieve with you and your council?

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Oh, look, I mean a lot of the a lot
of the challenges really are shared by a lot of
councils in the Three Waters space, and navigating the new
government policies and things that are that have all got
to be worked through and embedded during the coming year.
So we're doing a long term plan, so a lot
of sort of that statutory stuff. Quite good progress this

(05:27):
coming year will be made on the flood protection work
around Wisport. That's that's by the regional council, but obviously
a lot of the community are showing a great interest
in seeing that project developed. So yeah, so there's always
something to keep us busy and the community is quite positive.
Main Street, whistpl here, main Street Reefson. You know, you
really can't get a park in Reston most days of

(05:49):
the week. Now it's a real hubhive of activity through
in Reston with visitors but also the mining sector, you know,
focusing there on the gold.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yeah, brilliant. Hey Jamie, really appreciate your time this morning.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Have a great year you so, thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
I love the West Coast. It's one of those it
should be something that's not just a bucket list thing.
It should be somethinghere. We should be able to visit
the West Coast if you're not from that part regularly.
Beautiful part of the world.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
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