$70,000 boost to Wairoa cyclone clean-up

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A $70,000 grant from the New Zealand Disaster Fund is supporting crews as they go door-to-door in Wairoa to help clean up homes.

Nearly half of the funds raised by the New Zealand Disaster Fund have been issued in the form of grants from the New Zealand Red Cross after the announcement of the latest approved grants.

Among those was a $70,000 grant to Hookmade Ltd, which  sprang into action helping whānau who took refuge in local marae in the first days after Cyclone Gabrielle.

They then began combining their extensive experience in project management with their strong connections and love for the Wairoa community to organise more recovery support.

That included putting together work crews to help clear homes from flood debris.

“The Red Cross grant allowed us to do more,” Hookmade director Maria Cairns said.

The funds contributed as the group increased from one clean-up crew to two and added skilled crew supervisors.

They were also able to cover the operational costs of clean-up equipment which had been provided by local Māori wardens.

The Hookmade crews have helped clean up dozens of individual homes.

“I see a lot of movement and things happening for whānau,” Ms Cairns said.

“They still need a lot of support and it’s a long process, but this is the start towards getting them back in their homes.”

In a statement, the NZ Red Cross said overall it had committed $11.3 million of the fund to supporting people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and the other severe weather events earlier this year.

“In the last fortnight we have approved an additional 33 grants, committing a further $2.4 million.

“The total grants approved have now reached $10 million.”