There are celebrations in the West Coast town of Greymouth as a much-needed dredge gets to work in the silted-up port.
Eight-hundred-thousand dollars from the Provincial Growth Fund has gone towards the project that has the potential to expand the local fishing industry.
The Kawatiri dredge hard at work is a welcome sight for fishermen like Alan MacMillan who has worked out of the port of Greymouth for more than three decades.
"Oh we're rapt, yeah. It's a great thing, it should have been here months, a year ago," he told 1 NEWS.
That's because sediment washed in by recent big floods on the coast has lifted the lagoon floor by up to three metres in places.
"It's hard to manoeuvre, specially in the wind. And if it's shallow, well you can go to ground on the mud banks and all sorts of mayhem can happen," Mr MacMillan said.
The sediment has decreased the window of opportunity for bigger boats trying to get in and out of the port.
"Unfortunately, as the depths get shallower they're restricted to movements around high tide which makes their work, and work for the unloading of fish a lot more difficult," Franco Horridge, Greymouth Port team leader said.
If recent good weather continues on the Coast, the dredge should be finished its work by mid-January, removing up to three metres of silt and dumping it out at sea.
It's crucial work, with the West Coast reliant on the expansion of its fishing industry.
"We are diversifying our economy away from coal. Fishing is part of that. That's where the West Coast has to go. It has been painful for us but we are making that transition to sustainable industry," Tony Kokshoorn, Grey District Mayor, said.
They're hoping the dredging will see an influx of boats for the sought after tuna season.
"They were a bit frightened of the bar and the manoeuvrability and getting unloaded on time, getting back out again. It's just going to make a hell of a difference," Mr MacMillan said.
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