Mr Little said he visited Dunedin to inspect the flood damage and ask how people were coping.
''I was surprised how extensively damaged some of the properties were.''
South Dunedin resident Waverleigh Jenkins gave Mr Little a tour of her flood damaged home in Wesley St, for nearly an hour. She heaped praise on Dunedin South MP Clare Curran for helping her find emergency accommodation with Presbyterian Support Otago.
Ms Jenkins told Mr Little how Ms Curran had been a ''sympathetic ear'' after the flooding.
After visiting Ms Jenkins, Mr Little went to the St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club to talk to the people who filled and delivered several thousand sandbags during the flood.
Mr Little said the volunteers talked of their disbelief a Civil Defence state of emergency had not declared.
''People were at risk and they [volunteers] were flat out sand bagging all night long ... there does seem to be a bit of an issue on the judgement calls Civil Defence made locally and whether or not they were up to the mark,'' Mr Little said.
Dunedin City Council civil defence and rural fires manager Neil Brown said last night a state of emergency was considered, but never declared, because there was never an indication it would be advantageous.
''A declaration of emergency would have made no difference to how that event was responded to, nor to the people who were affected by it.''
After meeting the volunteers, Mr Little visited Radius Fulton Care Centre in Hillside Rd to talk to the residents evacuated during the flood.
Mr Little finished his Dunedin visit by meeting about 70 Labour Party members at Catholic Social Services in Macandrew Rd.
