Cyclone-hit communities will be devastated at revelations that the Government’s decisions around land use have been further delayed, National’s Cyclone Recovery spokesperson Chris Penk says.

“The Government said they would have the information necessary to make a decision in April around whether residents in cyclone and flood hit communities could rebuild their homes.

“However, in media interviews over the past couple of days Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson said that time frame has now been pushed back until the end of May.

“This is totally unacceptable. It's now more than ten weeks since the storms hit and all we've had from Labour is a statement on the blindingly obvious – some properties can stay and some can go, and some will need modification.

“Residents and business owners have been left in limbo as costs and stress continue to rise. Accommodation support is coming to an end for many families, while mortgagee sales are also increasingly a threat.

“Grant Robertson is on record saying that ‘we need to make the right decision not the quick one.’ But a decision that is right will be of no use if is left too long.

“Some of the decisions are relatively straightforward. Category One properties (namely those that can safely be repaired) should be advised without further delay.

“Labour needs to act with much greater transparency and urgency than we have seen so far."

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