Judith Collins sues couple, council over Nelson landslip

National MP Judith Collins says she won't speak about the case while it's before the court. Photo / Mark Mitchell

National Party MP Judith Collins is suing a Nelson couple and the city's council over damaged caused by a landslip nearly eight years ago.

Collins and her husband, David Wong-Tung, are seeking about $180,000 from homeowners Ashley Cooper and Ingrid Penfold and Nelson City Council for damage to their heritage-listed Haven Rd property and lost rent caused by a landslide during a 2011 flood, Radio NZ reports.

The claim was only lodged with the High Court in December 2018, and argues the council was primarily responsible for what the plaintiffs say was negligence in supervision of work on Penfold and Cooper's Queens Rd property.

The couple, who ran their property through their company Laval Limited, told Stuff they were shocked to learn of the claim years after the fact.

"We were handed a summons saying they were suing us for damage to their land and loss of income, we had no idea there was an issue, as far as we were aware everything was remedied and it just came completely out of the blue," Cooper said.

"It's really badly damaged us, emotionally, financially, we just don't have the money to go up against these sorts of people."

Penfold and Cooper were aware the land needed stabilising when they bought the property in 2011 and work when the major storm struck six months later, causing slips at a number of sites, RNZ reports.

The Nelson City Council confirmed it would be defending the case, but would not comment further.

Collins - who was a Government minister at the time of the slip - said she could not comment while the matter was before the courts.

The parties are due to meet for a conference next week.