Auckland Council endorses flood recovery deal with government

A $2 billion flood recovery agreement between Auckland Council and the government will be up for public consultation in September. On Wednesday, the council's governing body voted in favour of sharing costs with the government to buy out hundreds of uninhabitable properties and pay for other flood-related works. Most of the affected sites are in West Auckland. Lyall Carter is the chairperson of independent advocacy group West Auckland Is Flooding. He says the deal is a step in the right direction, but wants to make sure council pays a fair price for the properties it buys out. Mark Griffin lives in Ranui. He says his family has been living seperately since the floods destroyed their home in January. In June, he filled out an Auckland Council flooding and landslide registration form hoping his property would qualify for risk category three - a voluntary buyout. Mark says although he doesn't know the outcome yet, Wednesday's announcement sounds promising. Isma Azad has been living in temporary accomodation with her family since their Ranui home was yellow stickered. The announcement doesn't fill her with optimisim.