Case studies
Case study: Kawatiri | Westport
Ā Kawatiri urutau i ngā āhuarangi | Responding to a changing climate in Westport
26 May 2026
About this case study
This case study is based on kōrero with people in Westport and its surrounding areas in September 2025.
When we visited Westport in the Buller District, it was to try and better understand how climate change affects people, businesses and communities currently, how they’re responding today, and how they’re preparing for an uncertain future.
We met with a dozen groups from across Westport and its surrounding areas: iwi, farmers, business, local residents, regional and district councils, community organisations and conservation staff.
This case study sets out what we saw and heard on our trip: the challenges, the responses, and what would most help as the town moves into the future.
We have produced this case study in two formats: a document and as a shorter, scrollable multimedia version.
Details & links
Ā Kawatiri urutau i ngā āhuarangi: Responding to a changing climate in Westport – a case study from He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission
978-0-473-78420-1 (Print); 978-0-473-78419-5 (Online)
This online document has been updated to provide clarity around the presentation of climate projections that appeared in the first print run of this case study. The changes are to:
- text on page 22 'About climate projections'.
- footnote vii on page 22
- presentation of data in the table on page 23 (numbers remain unchanged).
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY-NC-ND) licence. The work can be downloaded, copied or distributed in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for non-commercial purposes only, and only if attributed to the Climate Change Commission. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
For images that include people: Out of respect for the people photographed, we ask that these images only be used in the context of this case study.
Aerial view of the Buller Bridge crossing the Buller River, Westport. Photo / AG Images
What this case study includes
- Information about Westport as a place, its current climate, and its future climate.
- Snapshots of what we heard on the ground about different sectors (such as local government, agriculture, tourism and mining) and climate-related impacts (like flooding, isolation and emergency response).
- Who gets hit hardest by climate change – and how socio-economic, cultural, and historical factors influence this.
- What people told us they need to support adaptation.
The views and opinions expressed in this case study are those of the people we talked to during and after a visit to the Buller District in September 2025. This compilation of insights from that kōrero was created by the Commission, with the input of the people we talked to.
Explore the case study
Read the full case study [PDF, 3.1 MB]
Explore the online scrollable version
Palmerston Street, Westport, at dawn. Photo / AG Images