Residents in the Tasman district are calling for tighter control on forestry, after many properties were left ruined in the wake of ex-cyclone Gita.
Logs and debris were washed down the hills in the storm, but there have been no guarantees a similar event won't happen again.
Community meetings were held last night, and thousands have signed an online petition calling for stronger forestry control.
Marahau resident Jane told 1 NEWS her house is now “worthless”.
“I can't sell it. And it's destroyed the quality of my life”.
Deputy Mayor Tim King says the council is comfortable with current forestry practices and says it’s difficult to know whether anything it could have done for affected areas would have made a difference.
The area, part of Separation Point Granite, is known for being vulnerable to erosion.
New national forestry standards come into effect in May, but Mr King says the rules won't necessarily stop an event like February 20 from happening again.
“Even if those requirements (NESPF) had been met, I suspect there would have still been a lot of damage downstream.
Part of it is going to have to be a conversation with the landowners, the people who own the forest, and the people who manage it”.
According to Crown Property general manager John Hook, the Marahau plantations were part of the Motueka Crown Forestry Licence, which was transferred to iwi in 2014.
Three iwi got equal shares; The Te Atiawa Ote Wakaa-Maui Trust, The Ngati Rarua Settlement Trust and Ngati Tama Ki Te Tau Ihu.
Chinese forestry company CNBM is currently the forest owner.
The company managing the forest says it uses high standard methods and it's helping locals on a case-by-case basis.
“The forest owner's been very supportive in trying to be a good neighbour and help clean up but it's not about us being able to put it back the way it was,” Tasman Forest Management's Craig McMiken says.
Reisdents are now hoping for assurances from the top could make life a little more comfortable at the bottom of the hill.
SHARE ME