The Nelson Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund, established through Government support and donations, has made its final recommendations for grants to residents and primary sector businesses affected by severe weather events in mid-2025.

The fund was established in late June and was extended following a subsequent weather event on 11 July.

“While not intended as compensation, it’s hoped these grants will go some way towards helping to alleviate the emotional and financial stress experienced by individuals, families, and businesses,” Mayoral Relief Fund manager Jim Frater says.

The Fund had $482,297.32 to distribute. It received 264 applications by the 5 September deadline.

To date, the Mayoral Relief Fund panel has approved payments of $477,465. Seven meetings were held between 30 July and 24 September 2025 to make recommendations on funding requests.

Applicants sought a total of $3.6 million.

“A number of applications were unable to be processed due to applicants providing insufficient information or documentation. There are currently no outstanding applications,” Frater says.

“In weighing up the expectation of donations being distributed as soon as possible against holding some funds in reserve, an upcoming debrief will discuss the possibility of retaining a pool of funds for any future need identified.”

A separate panel has also considered applications for the $340,000 Primary Producers Recovery Fund.

The fund was established to support the recovery of farmers, growers, foresters, and fishers affected by severe weather in mid-2025.

The funding was provided by the Government. This fund was administered by the Tasman District Council in conjunction with the Mayoral Relief Fund.

The fund received 91 applications by the 5 September deadline. Applicants requested $4,212,017.

“A three-member panel reviewed the applications to ensure they met the fund criteria. Additional information was sought where necessary to enable a thorough assessment of each application,” Frater says.

“The recovery fund was set up to help cover costs including cleaning up silt and debris on production land and around aquaculture farms, clearing key tracks, and removing fallen trees.”

The panel was made up of Tasman deputy mayor Stuart Bryant, Federated Farmers chairperson Wayne Langford, and MPI’s On Farm Support recovery manager Tim Stevenson.

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