Source: New Zealand Government
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says that communities across Auckland are benefitting from $1.8 million in grants from funds raised through a special Lotto draw for Cyclone Gabrielle relief.
“Cyclone Gabreille had a devasting impact on parts of Auckland, causing widespread damage to property and requiring significant relief efforts. Now, two years on, 71 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 were then distributed to the community 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.”
Auckland projects that received funding include:
$20,000 to the Titirangi Volunteer Coastguard Incorporated to replace equipment damaged in the cyclone
$21,921 to Karekare Surf Life Saving Club for essential search and rescue equipment to support lifeguard operations during extreme weather events
$30,000 to South Kaipara Good Food for water tanks, generators, irrigation systems and other equipment to support food resilience
$24,733 to Bethells Beach Emergency Resilience Group for equipment and resources for emergency support
“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 relief for Aucklanders doing it tough in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.”
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.
