Matata homes condemned

By KATEE SHANKS in Matata
Matata residents attempting to rebuild their lives have been given the news they were dreading - their homes are condemned.

Thirty-one residents east of the Awatarariki Stream received letters from the Whakatane District Council yesterday telling them their homes had been condemned after May floods.

The Daily Post understands 31 home and section owners were delivered the letters.

It made a bad day worse for many of the residents, as the rain that had done so much damage in May returned yesterday and caused more flooding.

The rain also caused the closure of State Highway 2, trapping two trucks, and caused a landslide on the Pikowai Straight which hurled trees and dirt on to the road.

At Matata, Victim Support members were involved with the letters' delivery to provide support for those getting the bad news.

However, one local was disgusted at the way residents received the news.

"If the council had any nous they would have delivered the letters themselves," Bill Whalley said.

Whakatane deputy mayor Graeme Hanlen said the decision for Victim Support to deliver the letters had been made by recovery manager Dianne Turner and council chief executive David Christison.

"I would have thought involving Victim Support was an inspirational thing to do," he said. "I would presume people who received letters would have been told they could not re-build or live on their sections again which would be traumatic for most to deal with."

The council was to be briefed on the Matata situation by consultants late this afternoon.

Until the briefing he would not know which residents had received letters telling them their homes had been condemned.

Mr Whalley said residents east of the Awatarariki Stream had "smelled a rat" about the fate of their homes when clean-up work ceased early last month.

Mr Whalley believes the council knew at that stage the homes would be deemed uninhabitable

"We have had no support since then and every time I asked why work had stopped in the area I was told it was for the safety of emergency crews.

"I may have believed this if they had closed the road off but the rat was starting to stink then."

He accused council workers and consultants of treating residents like "dummies" - when, just a bit further down the road and on council-owned land, the workers were going flat out cleaning the area.

He said at the end of the day for those who received the letters it was probably a relief to get them so they could now begin to move forward.

"One day we were praying we would not get these letters and the next day we had decided to go and look for another section."

Mr Whalley said residents were unsure whether the 31 letters were sent only to homeowners or whether people with sections in the area had also received them.

"It's people who have homes right beside the Awatarariki Stream I feel sorry for. They now have to sit and wait to see what will be included on their LIM reports."

He predicted a public meeting tomorrow would be a "bit of an eye opener" with the Matata public letting the council know how they were feeling.