Hon Nathan Guy
Minister for Primary Industries

Hon Nikki Kaye
Minister of Civil Defence

1 September 2015

Extra $2.6m support for storm-affected regions

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy and Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye have announced an extra $2.6 million of Government support for communities worst affected by the severe storm in June.

“Today’s announcement extends the support we can usually draw on to help communities recover from an emergency such as this,” says Ms Kaye.

“This was an unusual event because certain areas were hit a lot harder than others.

“The new support package includes one-off initiatives that take into account the severity of localised damage that occurred in parts of Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatu.”

Today’s announcement adds to previous Government funding and welfare support, and includes:

$1.28 million to help with rural infrastructure repair
$457,000 for a Rural Recovery Coordinator, extra psychosocial support and information and advice to help farming communities recover
additional funding of up to $500,000 for Enhanced Taskforce Green for further clean-up assistance, taking the amount committed to up to $1 million if needed
$400,000 to help build resilience to withstand and recover from possible future emergencies.
“During my visits immediately after the storm, I saw first-hand the extent of the loss people had experienced, in particular the damage to some farmers’ infrastructure,” says Ms Kaye.

“To help farmers who need to repair essential infrastructure to get back on their feet, $1.28 million is being made available under today’s package” say Mr Guy.

“The exact criteria for receiving this help will be determined by local authorities, but it could be used towards expenses such as hiring diggers, replacing fences and rebuilding stockyards and farm access roads” says Mr Guy.

“Just over two months on many people have bounced back, but it was always clear the road to recovery was going to be longer for some”, says Ms Kaye.

“This new package will provide greater support for those still getting back on their feet, and we will continue to monitor the situation and work with mayors, regional groups, businesses and farmers to support their ongoing recovery.”

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