Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been welcomed with open arms in Nelson during her visit to survey the widespread damage caused by wild weather last week.
Extreme flooding across Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough caused hundreds of people to evacuate, communities to be cut-off and extensive damage that will take years to repair.
Ardern received a warm welcome with locals yelling "we love you Jacinda" and one embracing her with a hug, a Newshub reporter at the scene said.
The rapidly evolving situation which saw over a metre of rain in four days has destroyed people's homes and while the rain has eased, a threat of landslides still looms.
Ardern told Ryan Bridge on AM that the vast majority of the 500 people evacuated have returned home but there are still a number of people who have either had their house red stickered or are waiting further assessments.
Watch Ardern's full interview on AM above.
