Designing Growth: How the West Coast Is Defying Decline
Kia ora — Jamie Cleine, Mayor of Buller, explores why official projections paint the West Coast as declining while recent data shows modest population growth driven by international migration and lifestyle relocations.
The episode explains that projections are conditional scenarios, not certainties, and outlines practical strategies to make growth stick: targeted attraction of workers, multi-year job pipelines and training, better housing and services, and new ways to reinvest resource revenues into lasting community infrastructure.
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11:08
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11:08
Local Votes, Big Impact: Why Your Ballot Matters in Buller
Kia ora — Jamie Cleine, Mayor of Buller, explores why local government and the upcoming local elections matter. He explains how councils shape daily life, the shared challenges of infrastructure, climate resilience and affordability, and the critical need for cooperation with central government.
Jamie zooms in on the West Coast and Buller, highlighting the importance of unity across districts and the strategic role of the Port of Westport as a resilience and economic asset. He urges listeners to vote, get involved, and choose representatives who will advocate effectively for the community.
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13:15
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13:15
The Lost Lagoon Parkrun Story - Walk, Run, Connect
Kia ora — welcome to The Cleine Line with Jamie Cleine, Mayor of Buller. In this episode Jamie explores the rise of Parkrun and how the global movement has taken root in Westport with the new Lost Lagoon Parkrun.
We hear from local organisers, volunteers and visiting runners about the event's inclusive, community and mental-health benefits, plus partnerships like Speed Freaks. Join the Lost Lagoon Parkrun Saturdays at 8am — free, friendly and for everyone.
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10:34
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10:34
Buller Youth Festival: Growing Resilience on the Coast
Kia ora — Jamie Cleine, Mayor of Buller, hosts a candid episode about youth life on the West Coast, focusing on the inaugural Buller Youth Festival. The episode explores national youth policy, regional challenges, and the festival’s practical workshops and inspirational speakers who aim to build pride, resilience and future pathways for local rangatahi.
Listeners hear stories from organisers, performers and young locals, learn about funding and community support, and are reminded that youth in Buller are the heart of the region’s future.
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14:19
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14:19
"Forging Westport's Future: A Journey of Resilience and Innovation"
In this episode of The Cleine Line, Mayor Jamie Cleine explores the groundbreaking Westport master plan, "Cutting Our Own Track." This community-led initiative looks beyond traditional approaches, aiming not just to mitigate natural hazards but to shape the social and economic landscape of Westport. Join us as we discuss the challenges of climate and geological risks, the strategic interventions of the Resilient Westport Work Programme, and the pivotal role of community input in securing a vibrant future. Discover how Westport is embracing resilience by fostering sustainable growth and preparing for the challenges ahead.
Kia ora, and welcome to The Cleine Line. I’m Jamie Cleine — Mayor of Buller District, a local born and bred, farmer, business person, and now a podcast host too.
Now just to clear things up right from the start — this isn’t the council line, it’s the Cleine Line. It’s not a press release, it’s not a meeting minute, and it’s definitely not spin. This is just me, speaking directly to you, about what’s going on — around Buller, across local government, and sometimes even up in the Beehive.
Each episode, I’ll take a few minutes to share what I’ve been up to — the good stuff happening in our communities, the challenging stuff around the council table, and the occasional eyebrow-raiser coming out of Wellington.
I’ll give you a few behind-the-scenes thoughts, maybe a laugh, maybe a rant — and hopefully give people a better sense of what goes on in this job, and in this place we call home.
The Cleine Line episodes will cover my work as a rural Mayor in the Buller District of New Zealand and the diverse communities that I serve. I will comment on the issues and opportunities that I encounter in my role, and provide commentary on these as I see them. I aim to inform and share some insights into my role and how I approach leadership, strategic long term thinking and advocacy. The episodes will traverse the serious to the less serious aspects of being a mayor including some community characters, events, social and news commentary.
The Cleine Line is my own podcast and is not the official line of the Buller District Council.
New Zealand