2004 The decade that was
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It was certainly a boom time for many in the region, with a bumper grape harvest, building boom and record property prices enjoyed during the year.
The situation was said to be worse in the lower North Island, but that was probably little comfort to the people of Picton when torrential rain led to flash flooding, mass evacuations and homelessness in early 2004.
The disaster struck on the morning of February 17 when the Waitohi Stream burst its banks, flooding houses, caravans and businesses, but the situation became even more serious when fears were raised that the Barnes Dam could burst.
Eight hundred people were evacuated and a state of civil emergency was declared, but the dam held.
The drama was soon over, but the effects lingered, with the cost of repairs exceeding $500,000 and some families, such as Tania Huntley and her four children, having nowhere to live.
It was a different story for a gang of illegal Malaysian workers found in Marlborough the previous month.
They were sent home after a major immigration bust, but three of the group were kept behind to face charges of illegally smuggling people into New Zealand. They were later convicted and jailed.
More illegal workers were deported as the Immigration Service continued crackdowns in the region.
Meanwhile, TrustPower's plans for a $240 million hydro-electricity scheme on the Wairau River hit a snag as opponents held a protest near the State Highway 6 Wairau River bridge.
Fish & Game New Zealand also revealed it was against the scheme, but TrustPower was holding firm, revealing that the next step was to seek resource consent.
The company also revealed that it was looking at wind-farm options on the east coast near Seddon.
TrustPower wasn't the only one in trouble. The Marlborough District Council was also feeling the pressure over big decisions such as whether to increase dog registration fees from $30 to $54 each year or decrease community grants funding from $100,000 a year to zero.
Both raised temperatures in the community, and in a hotly contested local-body election, sitting mayor Tom Harrison, who had ousted mayor Gerald Hope in the previous election, was sent packing by Alistair Sowman.
Five new councillors also found themselves newly responsible for the district's affairs, with Jill Bunting, Graeme Taylor, Pat O'Sullivan and Nigel Weetman winning seats around the table. Former mayor Gerald Hope rounded out the new, or not so new, faces.
However, not keen to return to the political fold was Kaikoura MP Lynda Scott, who announced she would stand down at the next general election.
Former shearing champion Colin King was later chosen as her replacement, to go up against Labour's Brendon Burns in 2005.
Meanwhile, the community showed it could come to the party for a good cause, with the hat going around residents and businesses in the middle of the year when it was revealed the Marlborough Community Hospice was facing a financial crisis.
Generous Marlborough folk raised a much-needed $100,000 in the space of three months for the hospice.
It was certainly a golden time for many in the region, with a bumper grape harvest, building boom and record property prices enjoyed during the year.
Recreational options were also on the rise, with the opening in June of the new Riverside Park in Blenheim and news that the planned aviation heritage centre at Omaka had received a $2m Trade and Enterprise grant.
Times were also looking better for power consumers, with the arrival of Contact Energy as Marlborough's third electricity provider, while major infrastructure projects such as the Southern Valleys irrigation and Renwick sewerage schemes progressed well.
Not so positive was the loss of 21 jobs when Apex Meat closed in May, and a fire that gutted Marlborough's cheese factory at Tuamarina in August left 40 people without work when Fonterra decided it was too expensive to replace.
Top-of-the-south Maori were also facing the challenge of making their voices heard over the controversial foreshore and seabed legislation, with Waikawa marae members joining a hikoi to Parliament. Despite their efforts, the bill was passed.
- The Marlborough Express
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