Still etched in the memories of many Westport residents are the floods of July 2021 and February 2022. The flooding in July 2021, as a result of wet weather throughout the country, led to the evacuation of half the town’s 4600 residents. Many homes were red-stickered, and millions of dollars’ worth of damage was caused. As if this wasn’t enough, the heavy rain struck again in February 2022, and a state of emergency was declared.
Yet despite this level of devastation, the locals’ spirits are upbeat and hopeful. I met with Luke Robertson, who, along with his partner Emma, has recently set up a brewery on a site with a long-established history of brewing. Shortjaw Brewery sits proudly in the centre of the town, in a functional but cosy building. The previous brewery was in and
