Source: New Zealand Parliament – Hansard
Question No. 2—Cyclone Recovery
2. ANNA LORCK (Labour—Tukituki) to the Minister for Cyclone Recovery: What actions has the Government undertaken to support the recovery from recent extreme weather events?
Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister for Cyclone Recovery): The Government is continuing to take action quickly to provide certainty and assurance for those communities and regions affected by the devastating impact of the cyclone and of flooding. More than $400 million of additional support has been committed so far. Yesterday, we added $26 million to the fund that is successfully helping farmers and growers with post-cyclone clean-up, taking total primary sector support, to date, to $55 million. The full cost of the impact of the recent weather events is still to be determined. We do know that it will be considerable and there will be further significant resources needed to support New Zealanders through the response, recovery, and rebuild phases. The Government is committed to working with local communities to get affected families, farmers, and businesses back on their feet, and their regions moving.
Anna Lorck: What reports has he seen on support to assist the primary sector in response to the cyclone and flooding?
Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As I said, the additional $26 million boost announced yesterday will help farmers and growers re-establish their businesses, particularly in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. This is on top of the initial package of $25 million and the $4 million for rural community recovery funds that have been available. Some 3,128 applications have been received so far for grants and already more than $18.2 million has been paid out to farmers and growers.
Anna Lorck: How will the Government’s business support package assist small and medium sized businesses in response to the extreme weather events?
Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: There is an additional $25 million support package which we announced last week to help businesses meet immediate costs, further assist with the clean-up, and boost business support and advice services. The grants of up to $40,000 per businesses will be delivered by local delivery partners as they know the people on the ground and are best placed to do this. We acknowledge that further allocations to businesses may be needed after this initial funding. The delivery partners are currently receiving applications, and as at this morning that stood at 1,966 applications.
Anna Lorck: What other support is available to businesses to support the recovery?
Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Along with the grant schemes, funding has been provided to the Employers and Manufacturers Association to extend the reach of their employer helpline. We’ve also provided additional support for the Regional Business Partner Network to increase the amount of business advice that they can offer. And the First Steps programme has been opened up and expanded so that mental health support can be provided to those on the ground who need it. We know that there are also larger businesses who are facing costs that go beyond what this initial emergency funding can support. We’re working directly with them to understand their needs and how we can support them, and we will have more to say on how we will help them get back on their feet soon.
Anna Lorck: How well placed is New Zealand to deal with the consequences of extreme weather events?
Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: New Zealand is in a strong financial position to support our country through these challenging times. This, in part, is thanks to the careful and prudent management of our books by this Government. We know, however, that the Crown accounts will change significantly in the coming months and years as the impact of the cyclone and flooding becomes clearer and our approach may need to change in response to this. If further resources are required, we are in a good position to manage that. The economy has been resilient in a challenging global environment, with unemployment near record lows and our debt level sits at 18.9 percent of GDP, well below our debt ceiling and among the lowest in the OECD.
