A small mid-Canterbury community faces being kicked off its land because of the local council's reluctance to upgrade its sewerage scheme.
Selwyn Huts has been home to a mix of holidaying families and permanent residents for close to a century but a legal document leaked to RNZ shows the Selwyn District Council is considering not renewing hut owners' licences.
Concerned about the cost of building a new sewerage scheme, it was also considering withdrawing wastewater services in two years.
About 100 people live permanently at Selwyn Huts - a collection of 97 baches nestled alongside the Selwyn River.
Steve Curtis has been visiting the huts since he was a boy and took his family there for holidays before deciding to live there full time.
When Mr Curtis moved there the council him he would be allowed to stay there permanently.
The council has told hut owners the future of the settlement was in doubt due to the threat of rising sea levels, but Mr Curtis said the real reason was because it did not want to shell out between $5 and $10 million to replace the ageing sewerage scheme.
"This seems to be a very speedy, not well-thought-out plan by the council to reduce costs without giving regard to people's lives," Mr Curtis said.
Mr Curtis was planning to spend his retirement there, spending $150,000 buying his home and doing it up, but now faced an uncertain future.
"It creates a lot of stress for residents of the huts. They can't sell them, they can't move on because there is an issue with getting a renewal licence."
Locals will be there until 'doomsday'
Bob Thomson lived at Selwyn Huts for nearly 40 years and remembered staying there as a child during the holidays.
"My grandfather used to go out there and sleep under a gorse bush and go fishing and ... it was a great place for kids to grow up."
Part of the Selwyn Huts community in mid Canterbury. Photo: RNZ/Conan Young.
He was willing to put up a fight to hold on to his home.
"I'm 100 percent sure I'll be there until doomsday. I'm not leaving and as far as I'm concerned, there are a lot of residents that will dig their heels in too."
Councillor and deputy mayor Malcolm Lyall said he could not recall seeing the legal advice which suggested refusing licence renewal or disconnecting sewerage.
Sea level rise meant the use of land next to Lake Waihora to treat sewage would not be an option long-term, so council needed to decide on investing in an upgrade to schemes such as the one that served Selwyn Huts, he said.
A council meeting will be held with hut residents on Thursday night to discuss the future of the settlement.
