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A meeting between Lake Ōhau village residents and the authorities was held on Friday, following concerns raised by owners preparing to return to the village.
The meeting, organized by the Waitaki District Council, included representatives from the New Zealand Insurance Council, Environment Canterbury, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and individual insurance companies.
The meeting was organized after residents raised concerns about the cost of demolishing their fire-damaged properties, and residents questioned whether they could get cheaper quotes from contractors.
The fire on October 4, described as one of the largest wildfires ever recorded in New Zealand, swept through the village and destroyed 48 structures.
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Dave Honeyfield owned two houses destroyed in the fire and told him Things he had an insurance policy that meant he was responsible for the demolition of his property.
His computers and records were destroyed in the fire, something he only managed to find out seven days after the fire swept through the area.
He had just finished building his dream home in the village and planned to retire there.
“We put everything we wanted to do in that house, and now it’s rubble,” he said.
“It is a difficult job to think about. It is the effort you put in. They pay you for what you lost, but not for the effort you put in to achieve it. “
He said that while he plans to rebuild the site, the rebuild would not be the same size, and said that if something happened to the house a second time, “you couldn’t handle it, really.”
Honeyfield said it wanted to arrange its own contractor to demolish its fire-damaged properties, because “if I pay for it myself, if I can save $ 10,000, I will.”
“I know how much it costs to own an excavator, I know how much it costs to transport things, but their figures don’t show any bottom line. With my boys at least I know, it’s going to be a great job, “he said.
Honeyfield said that while the process was “touching a nerve,” its insurance company was doing a great job.
New Zealand Insurance Council Insurance Manager John Lucas said some customers had been surprised by some of the costs associated with the cleanup.
“They’ve said ‘we can probably get this cheaper,’ and the insurers are just saying yip, do that.
“If you come back with a quote, we will review it, but we need to make sure that this cheaper contractor can meet the environmental requirements set by Ecan and by law and is also accredited for workplace health and safety.”
He said the main concern for insurers was “is there anyone who makes it cheaper but still complies with the law?”
Environment Canterbury regional leader James Tricker’s enforcement delivery said ash and debris from burned houses, which can contaminate the soil, needed to be removed from the site and taken to special landfills, with the soil tested to ensure that be safe.
BEJON HASWELL / Things
The fire that swept through the village of Lake Ōhau on October 4 destroyed 48 houses. (File photo)
“The cleanup will require the advice of an independent specialist to manage the potential effects and ensure that the remediated site is validated as clean.”
“As the cleanup progresses, we want to ensure that there are minimal environmental effects, while also ensuring that it is done in a way that minimizes the cost to the residents involved.”
Lucas said that all demolitions carried out at the site so far had been in compliance with regulations.
Lake Ōhau Recovery Manager for Waitaki District Council Lichelle Guyan said she set up the meeting when she heard that people weren’t well informed about the insurance process.
“Some of our residents had a number of questions about the insurance process and how contractors are selected and what role they may or may not have had in that decision.”
He hoped the meeting had helped.
Bejon Haswell / Things / Things
Environment Canterbury said ash from the fire can potentially contaminate the ground. (File photo)
“We certainly didn’t end the meeting on a negative note, it was very positive and I guess from my perspective the residents seem to be grateful to have the conversation.”
Guyan said that overall the recovery process has gone well.
“I think the feedback we received from the community has been very positive, mostly.
“I don’t think you can have an event like this and that everything works perfectly. But what I can say is that we are working very closely with the residents, we are working to do the best we can to meet the needs of everyone in a situation where their needs are really very diverse. “
