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We, the residents of the Upper Selwyn Huts, are a tight-knit community of 97 homes and over 200 people in Canterbury, New Zealand. Our lives have been turned upside-down by the recent decision of the Selwyn District Council to evict our entire settlement within the next 15 years.  This decision for a “short-term finite” period was made by Council in 2019, but home owners were not made aware until March 2024 

• They are stating climate change & rising sea level is the reason for eviction, but even their own reports show us being unaffected in 15 years
• 49 new buyers since 2019 were not warned, despite Council's own documents stating they would have a process to make sure new buyers understood
• Council are increasing our fees by 224% !!
• Making us sign a new Deed of Licence that gives home owners zero rights to our own homes, and gives them the right to evict us with as little as 24hrs notice
• No compensation for home owners when we are forced out
  We are expected to pay tens of thousands of dollars to demolish our homes and clear our sections

This is not only devastating to our entire community, but will erase a beautiful piece of our New Zealand history

We demand that the council treat us with the fairness and respect we deserve, revisit this decision and grant us a fairer lease term with the option to renew for as long as it's safe for us to continue to live here

Why force people to leave their homes if it’s not necessary?  It seems counterintuitive to needlessly force the demolition of 97 warm, dry homes in a nationwide housing crisis

Other Councils are approaching Managed Retreat conversations very differently; offering buy-outs and financial support, land, helping relocate people, bunding and other infrastructure that will keep people in their homes for as long as possible.  Where is our Managed Retreat Plan?  Where is our support?  The Selwyn District Council's plan is to boot us out of our own homes and leave us hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket.  Their idea of support is giving us the phone number for Depression Helpline and suggesting we get ourselves on the waiting list for social housing.  This is disgusting and has left us feeling discriminated against and bullied – everyone deserves fairness, respect, and security

This petition is not only an appeal from hundreds of affected individuals but also an urgent call for justice in housing rights and human rights.  Stand with the people of the Selwyn Huts