More than $2m in cyclone grants issued to Hawke’s Bay businesses

Awatoto, which includes plenty of industrial businesses, was hit hard by the floods. Photo / Ian Cooper

More than $2 million in government grants for Hawke’s Bay businesses have now been issued following the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle.

It comes as the Government announced on Wednesday an additional $25 million for business grants.

Following the floods in mid-February, the Government announced a $25 million support package to help businesses which has now been bumped up to $50 million.

That includes grants of up to $40,000 per business.

The Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce has been in charge of processing and distributing the grants in the Bay.

“We are happy to report that approved grants amount to over $2 million, which is a significant amount of financial support to boost the continued recovery efforts for affected businesses,” a chamber statement said.

“We fully recognise that businesses affected by this extreme weather event are still struggling, and we want to offer reassurance that we are working hard to process all applications as quickly as possible.”

A total of 1200 applications have been received in Hawke’s Bay alone. Many of those are still going through the approval process.

“Due to the limited nature of the funding provided by the Government, not all businesses who apply will receive the funding,” the chamber said.

“Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce is triaging by greatest need, prioritising those businesses which were seriously impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle and consequent flooding.”

You can apply for a business grant here through the Cyclone and Flood Response Fund.

Farmers and growers impacted by the cyclone are being supported through a separate $51m Government support package.