9 Jul 2014

Ngati Kahu checking on members

8:58 pm on 9 July 2014

The homes of more than 500 Ngati Kahu iwi in the Far North are without power as a result of the storm sweeping the top of the country.

The storm has snapped power poles, toppled huge trees and damaged lines from Cape Reinga to Kaiwaka, cutting power to thousands of households.

Ngati Kahu is made up of 15 marae stretching from Kaitaia to Karikari Peninsula and over towards Mangonui.

Tribe chief executive Anahera Herbert-Graves said on Wednesday that marae members had been checking on relatives, particularly kaumatua (elders) to make sure they were safe.

She said they had been making sure they had food, water and wood for their fires.

One of her staff had been checking on descendants at Karikari Peninsula, where there was no cellphone service, because of damage to homes in the area, Ms Herbert-Graves said.