KEY POINTS:
Far North ratepayers whose homes, farms and businesses were seriously damaged in last month's floods are not required to pay their rates for the April 1 to June 30 quarter.
The period covers the fourth quarter of the Far North District Council's annual rating payments and means the council may forgo thousands of dollars from more than 40 residential properties, farms and businesses in the district's eastern ward.
This was the area worst hit by the March 28-29 deluge.
About 20 households, mostly in the Paihia, Opua and Waikare Inlet areas, have not been sent the rate demands.
These properties have been declared uninhabitable and are subject to engineering and land stability reports that will determine their future.
"We appreciate the extremely difficult situation these people are in," said council revenue and policy manager Chris Ellington.
"We have no wish to add to the stress they are already suffering."
Nor would penalties be imposed for any rate arrears.
Whether rates for the period would be permanently wiped would depend on the likelihood of the homes, threatened mainly by land slips, being repaired for normal occupancy. The owners' insurers will decide if the houses are to be written off.
In the meantime, the council will discuss rating options and the final level of rate relief with individual property owners.
Letters offering the same rate relief are also being sent to 20 farm owners mainly east of Kawakawa and in the Kaeo area, even though the bills have already been sent through the mail.
The move recognises silting on farm land and consequent loss of production.
Six businesses in Paihia, Haruru Falls, Russell and Kaeo are being offered similar rate help after their operations were seriously affected by the storm.
This includes the Haruru Falls Resort, which lost accommodation units and was devastated by floodwaters from the overflowing Waitangi River.
Council spokesman Rick McCall said fourth-quarter rates on these businesses and farms would be postponed until they were back in business and/or production.
Whether those rates were eventually written off altogether would be decided case by case.
The council expects to make decisions in each case within the next four weeks.
