Residents of Ward 'won't be forgotten' after quakes

Residents of Ward 'won't be forgotten' after quakes

Marlborough Mayor John Leggatt met with the residents of the town of Ward on Sunday to reassure them they wouldn't be forgotten after the big quake.

With the railway line out of action, locals in the tiny settlement south of Blenheim are worried about the future.

The small township on State Highway 1 is home to just over 900 people.

Like many other towns hit hard by the quake, residents have had no power, water or cellphone reception.

"We've slept in the car for a couple of nights and now we've got a caravan, and we've got water today, which is good," says one resident.

At least six homes were completely destroyed in Monday's earthquake. Railway lines are also buckled; iconic buildings like the museum are red-stickered, and the area's 89-year-old church is now off-limits, leaving uncertainty over the town's future.

"We've got months and months of hellish stuff to deal with yet," says Doug Avery, a local resident and farmer.

It isn't just the township that has suffered. The dramatic shift in the coastline has destroyed hundreds of thousands of paua in the area, slashing fisheries' income.

"Their incomes will be dropping more than a half. Most of their income will be gone," says Mark Barchello, a paua diver.

But Mr Leggett is adamant they won't be forgotten.

"We are going to do everything we can to get this community back to where they were pre-earthquake, and that's absolutely a given."

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