Chris Hipkins speaks to the media after meeting with businesses and business leaders to hear first-hand the full impact of the weather on business.
The Government has unveiled an extra $700,000 in funding to support the storm-lashed regions of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland and Bay of Plenty.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the package after meeting with Auckland business leaders today to be briefed on the impact of the city’s record rainfall since Friday.
He also had what he described as a “good meeting” with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown this morning, with the pair discussing the current flooding situation, local and central government assistance, as well as climate change and the mayor’s transport plan.
The Government has today announced an extra $700,000 of funding for North Island regions that have taken a hammering from the recent weather events.
Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the money would go towards the response and recovery efforts across Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland and the Bay of Plenty.
“$500,000 is being made available to provide unskilled and semi-skilled jobs for local people who will support farmers, growers, and communities by completing clean-up work on their properties,” she said.
”The damage to farms, homes, roads, and bridges across the regions affected is extensive and no doubt will take a long time to be fully assessed. By making this funding available, local councils and other authorised agencies can hire job seekers to help.”
Sepuloni said extra funding could be unlocked for farmers and growers because the flooding and storm damage across the regions had been classified as a medium-scale adverse event.
Other problems stemmed from staff being unable to travel to work, road closures and reservations getting cancelled.
“Other issues include interruptions to the supply chain causing shortages of food,” the association added.
“We’ve been taking calls all weekend from members looking for support and targeted communication to help them work through the situation and get back and running again,” Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said on Tuesday.
“In particular, businesses are looking for additional support negotiating with landlords and insurance companies to get back on their feet.”
So far, 15,000 claims have been lodged after flood events in the city, according to RNZ.
Motorists contend with flooding on Aucklandnd's Queen St. Photo / Cherie Howie
Insurance Council consumer affairs manager Sarah Knox said people forced out of their homes due to flood damage should make a long-term housing plan.
“A standard event for insurers, where it is a normal-sized flood event, they will get through 90 per cent of those claims within a year. But this event is of an unprecedented scale so it will take a long time,” she told RNZ.
“People need to make sure that they are now looking at their temporary accommodation with their insurers and setting themselves up so that they are there for the long haul with their insurers.”
