A groundswell of donations from around the country has raised $134,604.25 for the Disaster Relief Trust in Tairāwhiti.

This is on top of the $1M donated by the Government to the Mayoral Relief Fund.

Together they will be used to help residents get back on their feet after the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz says it’s heartwarming to see the volunteering as well as the financial support pouring in.

“We have had lovely handwritten cards with a koha, flowers, cakes, young children donating from their piggy banks and lump sum payments in the thousands of dollars paid into the Disaster Relief Trust.

“Our community is hurting and through these generous donations, we will be able to help our residents clean up the damage to their properties.

“If you need help, please reach out.

“We have been assisting residents who have made us aware of their situations. “We’re here to help, if you’re affected let us know.”

On top of the financial help, truckloads of other donations and personal offerings have also poured in.

“We’ve had offers of free accommodation for people, a lovely lady from Tauranga couriered two big bags of clean linen, and contractors offering crews for clean up because they can’t work at the moment.

“Gisborne Boys’ High School have had their senior students helping pakeke clear their sections of silt and damaged furniture.

“These are just some examples. Thank you to everyone who has got stuck in and helped.”

On Wednesday, Local Government NZ also launched a campaign called Adopt-a-Community.

South Island Mayors have been matched up with Mayors from Councils that did suffer damage after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz says we were matched up with the Invercargill, Selwyn, Dunedin as well as Marlborough Councils and they are organising events in their regions to fundraise for Tairāwhiti.

“The support from around the country has been overwhelming and we send our sincere thanks to each and every one who offered us support and kind wishes in these tough times.”

Donations to the Disaster Relief Trust can be made to:

Account Name: Gisborne District Council

Account: 03 0638 0502288 00

For overseas payments - SWIFT code: WPACNZ2W

Reference: Disaster

1. If you’d like assistance, apply here
2. Each application will be assessed by an advisory group to make sure the criteria are met
3. From there, funds will be distributed from the Mayoral Relief Fund first as this has $1M funds contributed by central Government and then supplemented by the Disaster Relief Trust donations
4. The Disaster Relief Trust is a registered Charity.

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