Residents of Muriwai in west Auckland will meet with Auckland Council officials in two weeks' time to go over property classifications for storm-hit homes. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
A coastal Auckland resident says his cyclone-stricken community is looking for answers out of a meeting with officials later this month.
The city's west coast was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle and many people are still grappling with the fallout six months later.
Residents of Muriwai, which suffered severe landslides during the storm, will meet with Auckland Council officials in two weeks' time to go over property categorisations for cyclone-hit homes.
In an email to residents, Auckland Council said the process to categorise houses was still in its initial stages, and that some properties would need to be assessed on a site-by-site basis to more specifically address geotechnical issues.
The council acknowledged residents' frustration at the extra steps, but said it was critical it had confidence the right decisions were being made for the future of the properties.
Abe Dew said affected residents hoped the meeting would provide much-needed clarity.
"Will people who own those houses be able to get insurance, to actually live in them, what we be the cost of that remediation?" he said.
"It's by no means a clear cut end to the journey we've been on."
Dew said the community was feeling pensive in the lead up to the meeting.
"Literally, everybody's got a calendar and they're crossing the days off until that, because that's when the actual nature of the situation we're in becomes a lot clearer," he said.
Dew said affected property owners wanted swift action if they were offered voluntary buy-outs.
He said the community wanted a commitment from central government that they would be able to move on any buy-outs offered before Christmas of this year.
