Rural residents yet to return to their homes a year after Kaikoura earthquake

Some families still haven't returned to their homes or are living in severely damaged ones.

Some families in rural areas of Marlborough still haven't returned to their homes or are living in severely damaged ones a year after the Kaikoura earthquake.

Rural communities in Marlborough were just getting back on their feet when the quake struck on November 14, 2016.

The towns of Seddon and Ward had already been battered by two earlier quakes in 2013 and 2016.

Repairs are still needed for many of the homes affected by last year's quake, but some residents fear another quake will reduce their houses to rubble.

"The other night, when we had the one they had in Wellington, I couldn't sleep at all," said Diane Ryan, a Seddon resident.

Ms Ryan is frustrated by the delay in settling her claim with insurers. 

Currently, 60 per cent of residential claims have been settled, and a further 10 per cent partially settled in the upper South Island.

In Ward, the Taylor family have been able to starting planning for a new home as their old, damaged house sits empty just 100 metres up the road from where they're staying.

"The earthquake is ingrained in our culture - the scars on the hillsides, the roads, the houses," said Ally Avery, a Ward resident.

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