New Zealand has significantly increased its use of coal for electricity generation in recent years, despite its status as the worst, most polluting fossil fuel on the planet.
Westland Mayor Bruce Smith is rejecting a claim by the region s MP Damien O Connor that there is no long-term plan for the future of Franz Josef township.
Westland Mayor Bruce Smith.
Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd
Smith says a plan to protect the town from the Waiho (Waiau) River and eventually move the town altogether was well thought out and had been agreed to by councils, NZ Transport Agency and the Labour-led government before the general election.
Smith said time was of the essence if the glacier town was to be saved.
A $24 million proposal by the West Coast Regional Council for better stopbanks and a new bridge appears to be hanging in the balance as the new government reviews it, and no funds have yet been released for the work.