Source: New Zealand Government
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says that communities in Hawke’s Bay are benefitting from $4.77 million in grants from funds raised through a special Lotto draw for Cyclone Gabrielle relief.
“Cyclone Gabrielle had a devasting impact on Hawke’s Bay, causing widespread destruction to property and requiring significant relief efforts. Now, one year after grant applications closed, 178 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”.
Hawke’s Bay projects that received funding include:
- $30,000 to Radio Kidnappers Charitable Trust to upgrade its AM transmission and expand emergency radio coverage across Hawke’s Bay
- $9,300 to the Ashley Clinton Fire Brigade (Fire and Emergency New Zealand) to purchase and install a generator and starlink
- $30,000 to Eskview and Districts Rugby Football Club to build an outside shelter facility for use as a hub in civil defence emergencies
- $20,000 to Waipuka Civil Defence to upgrade the emergency stations and communication hub, and expand shelter space
“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.
