Source: Auckland Council
Temporary accommodation assistance
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) offers temporary accommodation assistance to eligible homeowners who can’t live in their homes due to the Auckland Flooding events and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023.
MSD recently extended the eligibility criteria, so we encourage anyone previously declined or who thought they were ineligible and believe they may now qualify to contact MSD.
From 1 April 2024, accommodation assistance may be available if your property was storm-affected, providing you:
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Are still paying for your home which you own and usually live in, but can’t live in because it’s been red or yellow stickered, or you’ve been required to leave because of the severe weather event
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are paying for temporary accommodation that you signed an agreement for before 18 March 2024, for example:
– a tenancy agreement under the Residential Tenancies Act
– a flat or house-sharing agreement (for example flatmates who are not named on the tenancy agreement)
– a hire agreement or rental contract for a cabin, mobile home or caravan
– a lodging or boarding agreement
– commercial accommodation agreements (for example a hotel, motel or homestay).
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have been getting insurance payments for your temporary accommodation but these have stopped or will stop soon, or you had taken steps to be insured but for reasons outside of your control you weren’t covered
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are registered with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE’s) Temporary Accommodation Service
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are not getting any other help from MSD for the temporary accommodation you’re living in right now.
Please note that MSD has not extended this support to people whose homes are solely held in trusts due to the complex legislative changes that are required.
Visit the Work and Income website for more information on temporary accommodation assistance, including how to apply.
Rates relief
We recognise it’s been a tough journey for some storm-affected homeowners, and many are under financial pressure. Auckland Council provides rates support for those who need it most to help ease their financial burden.
In July 2023 the Governing Body agreed to provide a 100 per cent rates remission for 2023/2024 for properties that are uninhabitable because of severe weather events in the first half of 2023.
Properties granted rates remissions for the 2023/2024 rating year could also have their rates remitted for the 2024/2025 rating year, providing the eligibility criteria is still being met as at 30 June 2024. Rates relief was automatically granted to properties with red placards.
Property owners can apply for rates relief in all other cases, including yellow 1, yellow 2, white placards and non-placarded properties. Some applications do not strictly meet the eligibility criteria but may be granted by approval of the Group Recovery Manager and a Rates Manager.
However, the overarching consideration is still whether the property is unable to be inhabited sufficiently to warrant a 100% rates remission. Auckland Council has a legal responsibility to disclose rates relief on LIMs for storm-damaged properties.
Rates relief eligibility criteria
If you have a storm-damaged home, you will qualify for rates relief providing:
a. No person has resided in the property since a severe weather event in the first half of 2023; (and)
b. The building: i. is in a state of disrepair; (or) ii. has insufficient or defective provisions against moisture penetration through the roof or external walls so as to cause dampness in the dwelling; (or) iii. does not have a supply of potable drinking water that is adequate for its intended use; (or) iv. does not have sanitary facilities (no working bathroom or kitchen) that are adequate for its intended use.
Community grants
Community groups and organisations can apply for local or regional grants to get funding for projects, activities, and services that support Auckland’s recovery from extreme weather events in early 2023 or create future storm resilience. Current and recently closed grant rounds are listed below.
Community grants open
Applications are open for the Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Trust fund until 29 May 2024 for small-scale rebuild projects that hāpu, iwi, marae and communities need and can complete quickly.
Community grants recently closed
We have allocated mental wellbeing support funding to 18 experienced providers, so storm-affected young people can access therapeutic support and initiatives that build social cohesion.
Home appliance and furniture replacement
Many individuals and whānau living in temporary accommodation are now able to move back home but are financially struggling to replace storm-damaged furniture and appliances.
The New Zealand Red Cross Disaster Fund provides furniture and appliance bundles to support families that experienced significant loss of household items during the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023.
Storm Recovery Navigators in the Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office allocate bundles to those who need it most, on a case-by-case basis (availability is limited).
