Photo: Supplied / Emergency Management Southland
A Southland community has been allowed to return home after nearly two weeks under an evacuation notice.
A state of emergency was declared in Bluecliffs last month when rapid erosion from the sea and Waiau River threatened properties, with three metres of land lost in a day.
Residents were told to evacuate by 8 March so an old dump site that potentially contained explosives could be cleared.
Emergency Management Southland group recovery manager Lucy Hicks said about 2000 tonnes of rubbish was removed including a large amount of asbestos.
Residents could return home on Wednesday now that work had wrapped up and it was deemed safe, she said.
"The contractor and specialists have gotten through the work faster than anticipated, so the expected 21 days for residents to be out of their homes was reduced down to 12."
Bluecliffs Beach Road remained open only to residents and homeowners with traffic management in place.
The state of emergency expired on Sunday and was under a Transition to Recovery declaration until at least 14 April.
"We know this has been a difficult time for the Bluecliffs community and we thank them for their patience. No decisions have been made about the future of Bluecliffs and at this stage all options remain on the table," Hicks said.
"The expected report on the opening was received last week, and the team are considering this. The local recovery team will work with the community to discuss these options."
