Financial support

Hawke's Bay Disaster Relief Fund

The Hawke's Bay Disaster Relief Fund is currently closed

The Disaster Relief Fund provides financial support to residents and ratepayers of the Hawke’s Bay region who have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. This one-off hardship grant provides for damage or hardship incurred as a result of the cyclone.

This fund is designed to help Hawke’s Bay communities, individuals, families, community organisations and marae get immediate access to funds to assist with recovering from the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle within the Hawke’s Bay region.

From 8 May, support is available up to a maximum of $10,000 for individuals or $10,000 for community groups and marae. Applications will be assessed against the eligibility criteria and process periodically.

Phase two of The Hawke's Bay Disaster Relief Fund closed 5pm on Friday 21 July

Cyclone-related red/yellow placard payments

Owners of red and yellow stickered properties damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle in Hastings district will receive one-off support payments. Note, these payments are based on the property ID data held by Hastings District Council, with the $2,000 payments made to a single bank account for each property as a whole, not the individual buildings and building owners.

If Council holds your back account details your payment will be processed as soon as possible and an application is not necessary. If Council does not hold your bank account details (or you are unsure if it does) you will need to fill in this simple form. 

Note: If you are applying on behalf of multiple owners, please ensure you have completed the Bank Account Approval – Trusts and Multiple Owners form. This should be uploaded with proof of your bank account.

FAQs

Temporary Accommodation Assistance Payment

The ‘Temporary Accommodation Assistance’ payment from MSD is specifically for a group who now face having to pay twice for their accommodation, and whose insurance cover has run out.

The eligibility criteria for the payment is for people who are currently paying home ownership costs for their home which they can't live in because it has a red or yellow placard.

People will also need to be renting in temporary accommodation with a tenancy agreement they signed on/before 19 July 2023. Their insurance payments for their rental accommodation costs will need to have stopped, or are due to stop.

People need to have registered with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's (MBIE's) Temporary Accommodation Service, and also not receiving any other help from MSD for the rental accommodation they’re currently living in.

The Temporary Accommodation Assistance payment is available through the Ministry of Social Development from 4 September 2023. People can contact MSD from 21 August 2023 to make an appointment to discuss their eligibility.

Payments will vary depending on the location of the rental accommodation and whether the household is a single person, a couple or an individual or family with children.

There is more information on the work and income website.

Temporary Accommodation Service

TAS supports displaced households with temporary accommodation while their homes are repaired or rebuilt.

‘Temporary’ does not mean a few weeks or months - TAS offers solutions based on individual households circumstances. In many cases this may mean supporting households for many months or possibly even years while their homes are repaired or rebuilt.

TAS is not a one size fits all solution. Our Matching and Placement coordinators will work with displaced households to understand their needs and requirements. In the short term we may need you to be flexible but we are committed to finding a solution that works for you, that includes households with pets, medical needs or large families.

What do they offer?
TAS is working at speed to identify housing options to cater for households’ individual needs. As much as possible they will work with households to ensure you can find suitable accommodation close to home to allow you to remain in your community.

TAS makes use of a variety of accommodation options to cater to households needs, this is normally hotels or motels in the short term. As the response progresses, they will look to offer our families stability through longer term options like, rentals, relocatable cabins and eventually temporary housing villages if required.

Cost of Temporary Accommodation
There will be a cost for temporary accommodation by way of partial payments. Renters will need to cover a set amount of the total rent based on the number of rooms (e.g. $250 for a one bedroom property to $500 for a four bedroom property); TAS will cover the remaining cost of the accommodation.

Some insurance policies cover rent for temporary accommodation. People who are uninsured or have insurance policies which don’t cover temporary accommodation may be eligible for financial assistance through Ministry of Social Development.

Who can access it?
The only criteria for getting help from TAS is that you are displaced - it is not means tested, it doesn’t matter if you were an owner or renter, and it doesn’t matter if you are getting help from insurance or not.

Understanding future needs
At this stage only around half of displaced households are registered. Generally speaking, following a natural disaster, due to a range of factors it can take months to years to get people back into their homes. To help TAS plan for potential need, they encourage anyone who is needing temporary accommodation as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle to register with the Temporary Accommodation Service now, even if you think you might be ok right now. You can register online at www.tas.mbie.govt.nz or phone 0508 754 163

New Zealand Claims Resolution Service

The New Zealand Claims Resolution Service provides free advice, engineering, legal and wellbeing support. Register with them by calling 0508 624 327. If you are a tenant, you can get more information about your rights and obligations after a natural disaster at www.tenancy.govt.nz.

Support for disabled people and whānua hauā

CCS Disability Action is an approved provider for the Government's Community Support Package, they can assist you to access a range of support and funding if you or your household has been impacted. Click here for further information.

Civil Defence Payments

Civil Defence payments for the East Coast region (Tairāwhiti and Hawke's Bay) ended on Saturday 15 April. There continues to be lots of other ways Work and Income can help people. Hardship payments, employment support, financial assistance, and accommodation costs continue to be available. Visit www.workandincome.govt.nz for further information or view the following documents:

• Employer support following Cyclone Gabrielle
• Help with essential costs

Rural and Business Support

In addition to the information below, please visit the MPI website for Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery advice, support and funding, or download their fact sheet here.

Cyclone Gabrielle Rural Sector Funding

The Government is providing an initial $4m to help rural communities with immediate recovery efforts from Cyclone Gabrielle.  The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is working with national and regional response teams, sector groups, whenua Māori entities and Rural Support Trusts, to identify areas of greatest need. They will consider ideas for works, services and initiatives that meet the immediate needs of rural communities
The money may be used to:

• support the immediate response and get in behind local initiatives
• support the contracting of advice from rural professionals
• respond to urgent needs identified by sector groups, response teams and councils
• conduct aerial assessments (this imagery was critical in recovery planning after the Canterbury floods in 2021).

Funding Fact Sheet – How to Apply

Who do I contact if I need help with my grant request?

MPI staff are available to assist you. Please call 0800 00 83 33 or email funding@mpi.govt.nz

Soil Repair after Cyclone Gabrielle

Landwise are bringing together resources to help growers make decisions about repairing, rebuilding or developing their soils following flood events such as Cyclone Gabrielle. These events have happened before, and there have been lessons learned. They are working with their scientists and advisors to create a succinct set of materials. View the Landwise website.

Cyclone Farmer and Grower Recovery Grants

Applications closed at 5pm on Monday 3 April 2023.  Farmers, growers, and whenua Māori owners in areas significantly affected by Cyclone Gabrielle were able to access support for urgent recovery efforts. The Government made a total of $74 million available to undertake urgent repair work, including fencing, and clearing silt to save trees and vines. 

Cyclone and flood recovery for businesses

Applications closed at 4:30pm on Monday 3 April 2023. Farmers and growers can apply for separate support from the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Contact Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce www.hbchamber.nz