Source: New Zealand Government
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says that communities in Northland are benefitting from $3.59 million in grants from funds raised through a special Lotto draw for Cyclone Gabrielle relief, two years later.
“Cyclone Gabrielle had a devasting impact on Northland, causing widespread destruction to property and requiring significant relief efforts. Now one year after grant applications closed, more than 161 community organisations have received funding to rebuild thanks to the generosity of Kiwis who bought tickets to the special Lotto draw for Cyclone Gabrielle relief,” says Ms van Velden.
Funds raised from the special Lotto draw were passed on to the Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Trust, which accepted grant applications until May 2024 and distributed all funds by October 2024. Grants were given to community organisations in regions where a state of emergency was declared for Cyclone Gabrielle, which were Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Coast, Hawke’s Bay, and Tararua.
“As well as repairing and replacing community facilities that were damaged by the cyclone, the proceeds of the lottery draw went towards upgrading local emergency services organisations so they can be better prepared for any future severe weather events”.
Northland projects that received funding include:
$6,000 to Surf Life Saving Baylys Beach Incorporated to purchase a generator to supply power for future adverse weather events
$20,000 to the Waimamaku Community Civil Defence Group for equipment and supplies to set up the community hall as an emergency assembly point
$19,800 to Oakura Beach Reserve Board in Ōakura for a shipping container to store seven generators to be used in emergencies
“Raising funds for important community projects is at the heart of what Lotto does. I’m pleased that the funds raised from this special Lotto draw went towards better preparing impacted communities for future events.”
The special draw was a part of the overall cyclone recovery effort and complemented the work that government, charities, mayoral relief funds, corporate partners and local fundraisers did in raising money to help with the response and recovery in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Trust was established by the Crown as an independent entity to distribute funds raised in the Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal. The Trust allocated $14,511,916 in total across the regions affected to help recovery efforts, of which $11,770,000 came from the live Lotto NZ draw on 18 March 2023.
