More support for storm battered Northland

Further relief for Northland is on the way after Social Development Minister Paula Bennett today activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) to help with the clean-up following the recent storms.

“Northland is moving into recovery mode and the Government is pitching in with wage support, and by paying locals beneficiaries to help with the clean-up,” Mrs Bennett said.

The Taskforce will cover wages for workers and supervisors employed by local councils to help with the clean-up operation in areas where there is too much damage for local councils to manage alone.

Beneficiaries in the area will help in cleaning debris and repairing damaged property, fences and infrastructure.

“This is a pragmatic approach to helping Northland recover from the latest floods,” says Mrs Bennett.

“The activation of ETFG follows the $100,000 committed by the Government earlier this week towards mayoral relief funds, to help Northland residents who are experiencing financial difficulties following the storms.’’

“This will be welcomed by Northland farmers and growers as an important helping hand,” says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

“I’ve seen the extensive damage for myself this week on farms and orchards. The clean-up will be a big job on top of an already busy calving season and upcoming avocado harvest. These extra hands will make a real difference and I'm sure farmers and growers will welcome this practical support.”
Mrs Bennett says at this stage up to $200,000 would be made available for ETFG which would cover three clean-up teams working for up to three months.

Work is underway to assess clean-up requirements and have the teams available as quickly as possible, and support may increase as more assessments on the recovery are completed.

ETFG is a temporary employment programme administered by the Ministry of Social Development to help regions recover from adverse events.

“The ETFG funding is in addition to emergency assistance already available, and I encourage people affected by the storms to get in touch with Work and Income to see what support they may be eligible for,” Mrs Bennett said.

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