A year on from the disastrous Nelson floods, owners of wrecked, unliveable homes are now being offered a buyout deal similar to the one for Cyclone Gabrielle victims.
The city council has identified 14 households where the landslide risk was too high for people to return to their homes but too expensive to fix.
Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson said the Government had agreed to contribute 50 per cent of the total cost of the buyout, around $6 million, with the council asked to pick up the other half.
The Government had also offered further financial support to the dozens of families whose homes were yellow-stickered and who remained in acute hardship, paying both rent and a mortgage.
Geoff Moffett’s home was red-stickered during the heavy rain, deemed unsafe to return to after tonnes of debris inundated properties.
Moffett previously told RNZ that he and his partner felt they were in the same position as many people after Cyclone Gabrielle, with a home that was not safe to live in and remediation work that was unaffordable.
Floods in Nelson. Photo / Tim Cuff
He said the news that the Government was willing to strike a buyout deal with the Nelson City Council was amazing.
Down the road, Andy Kenton, whose home was also red-stickered, said he was waiting to hear what the council had to say about the matter but that the announcement was encouraging after what had been a difficult year with very little communication.
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said the council had been clear that it could not afford to buy out affected properties without support and he wrote to the government in July, seeking financial assistance.
Nelson is currently held by Nick Smith for National. Photo / File
Nelson City Council will vote on whether to meet the remaining 50 per cent of the buyout costs at its next meeting on September 14 but Smith said he was confident.
“It is true that that is a hit for the ratepayer but, frankly, I see no other way out and so I am confident I’ll be able to persuade my council colleagues for support.”
He said the announcement would provide relief to the small number of families who had been in limbo land for the last year.
“I’m a bit frustrated that it has taken the length that it has, but I’m actually just relieved that we have now got a pathway forward for the full recovery from our storm last August.”
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack said affected residents had been calling on the Government for some time for certainty, and the announcement would enable them to move forward.
“A number of members of the community in Nelson have moved on from the floods, but there are a small group of people who haven’t been able to move on and it has been a big piece of work between the council and the Government to look at what is needed on the ground.”
She acknowledged it had been a long wait for many residents to get answers.
“Things have moved a lot quicker than in previous events, but I absolutely acknowledge that for people, a year is an extraordinarily long time and we want to keep working to make sure we can work through these processes in the future, as fast as we possibly can.”
Boyack said she was grateful to the officials and elected members who had worked hard to find a solution, but also to the members of the community who had been vocal about their needs, which had helped to put this package together.
