More Government Support for flood-affected Marlborough communities

Marlborough communities hit by the recent heavy rain will receive a further $100,000 contribution to their Mayoral Relief Fund as part of the wider Government support for the region, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty says.

Kieran McAnulty joined Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Transport Minister Michael Wood today in Marlborough to get a further sense of the damage from the recent severe weather and recovery operation underway, and to meet people providing ongoing support to the community.

“Nearly a week has passed since the state of emergency was lifted, and despite good progress, dozens of homes are still uninhabitable or severely damaged, and a number of remote communities are without road access.

“We know that while the severe weather event itself was over in a matter of days, recovery is likely to take years.

“The Government’s further contribution meets the request from local leadership and will help ensure immediate support needs can be met while the scope of damage is still being assessed.

“The additional contribution brings the Government contribution to Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough’s Mayoral Relief Funds to $500,000. These contributions are in addition to targeted support from other government agencies.

“I would like to thank Marlborough’s hard-hit communities for their patience and understanding. I know this has been really tough on you and I assure you, local and central government will continue to work together to support your recovery.

“It is too early to know the cost of this event, but it’s clear that the damage has been extensive. Once we have a clear picture of the damage we’ll have a better idea of the support that central government could provide to the local council.

“I want to acknowledge the local leadership of Mayor John Leggett, Marlborough District Council and iwi for their role in the response, especially just a year on from the last major flooding event.

“I also want to recognise the incredible dedication and efforts of volunteers, emergency services, civil defence and council, iwi and response personnel, contractors, and everyone who is involved in Marlborough’s recovery operation.

“Thank you for the work you’re doing – it’s a testament to how tight-knit your communities are and how strong we are when we stand together.”

Note:

Mayoral Relief Funds help support communities after an emergency. Local communities and councils understand where the immediate needs are and how to help whānau, community organisations and marae.

The Mayoral Relief Fund is locally managed and will be primarily available to Marlborough District Council area residents who have suffered personal financial or emotional hardship because of the August 2022 Marlborough Severe Weather Event. Those wishing to understand more about the fund are directed to mail floodrelief.applications@marlborough.govt.nz or further information.

Mayoral Relief Funds have previously been used for recovery activities such as cleaning septic tanks, filling water tanks, re-establishing damaged boundary fence lines and clearing debris from properties.

Mayoral Relief Funds are intended to help fill gaps quickly where an immediate need exists. It’s not a replacement for insurance and costs covered by other funding sources.

Current Government support for Top of the South

• The Government contributed of $500,000 to the Mayoral Relief Funds in Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough ($300,000 to Nelson/Tasman, $200,000 to Marlborough)
• Financial assistance from The Ministry of Social Development via Civil Defence Payments is available to support people impacted by the Nelson/Marlborough weather event. People don’t have to be on a benefit to qualify for a Civil Defence payment, and it is not income or asset tested.
• Enhanced Taskforce Green has been activated to provide workers to help farmers and growers complete clean-up work on their properties. This may include clearing debris, clearing fence lines and repairing buildings and waterways. It also provides support to enable public assets such as community halls and gardens, playgrounds and public spaces to be returned to the same condition they were prior to the event
• Ministry of Primary industries announced a medium scale classification for the event and made $120,000 available for local Rural Support Trusts and Mayoral Relief Funds in the Top of the South to help farmers and growers recover
• The Government’s Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated to support people displaced by the severe flooding and landslips
• In addition to these initial financial contributions there has been staff deployed from multiple government agencies to support event response and recovery.