Buller district mayor Garry Howard is worried about how the local electricity lines company will be able to manage the cost of the extensive repairs needed after this month's big storm.
The storm, which brought down thousands of trees, also caused widespread damage to the electricity network, with power cut to the whole Buller region at one point.
Mr Howard says Buller Electricity, which is owned by subscribers, may have to spend millions of dollars to repair the network.
He is unsure what sort of insurance the company has for such events.
Mr Howard says the whole region is facing huge costs.
Many fruit growers lost tamarillo, feijoa and tomato crops and many farmers had damage to glass houses and other farm buildings.
