New Zealand Covid-19 resurgence - A timeline of events. Video / NZ Herald
Kiwis can finally apply for a slice of Facebook's $140 million (US$100m) fund - which involves cash grants and ad credits.
"In New Zealand, we are offering approximately $400,000 in grants to approximately 60 eligible small businesses. Each grant amounts to $6,600 comprising of $4100 in cash grants and $2500 in optional ad credits to help during this challenging time," the social network says on its grants page.
Small businesses in New Zealand can submit their application between September 16 and September 22.
Small businesses do not need to have a Facebook presence in order to apply.
But they do need a presence in Auckland, according to the fine print in the grant's terms and conditions.
In something of a bricks-and-mortar throwback, a Facebook spokesman explained the programme is only available in cities where the social network maintains an office.
Am applicant also has to be for-profit, and number between two and fifty staff.
It must have experienced "challenges" from the pandemic.
The conditions also include various data collection provisions, including: "We [Facebook] may collect (including by asking you to provide) information about the race and gender of officeholders in your business. For example, we may ask you to provide information about the number of officeholders in your business who identify as women. In addition, for applicants in New Zealand, we may collect information about the number of officeholders in your business that affiliate to an iwi or have Māori heritage."
The information could be used in subsequent Facebook marketing, the company says.
There is no immediately obvious timeline for when the grants will be allocated.
Facebook first announced the grant in mid-March.
Earlier, Tim Dorrian, managing director of Wellington-based digital advertising firm Aro Digital, said the rollout of the grants had been extremely slow.
Like others, Aro Digital was notified by Facebook about the programme in March and was invited to sign up for updates about the application process.
"We did that on behalf of our clients and we haven't even had a response email," Dorrian said.
Aro Digital principal Tim Dorrian says Facebook has been "extemely slow" at moving o the grant since it first announced it in March. Photo / Supplied
Dorrian said he suspects the digital giant may be struggling with the sudden transition to working from home because the grant scheme isn't the only thing set to "go-slow" in Facebook's business.
"We've noticed big delays in ad reviews and other manual processes for the last few months," he said.
A Facebook rep told the Herald this afternoon: "We are working hard to review all applications and businesses will hear back from us roughly seven to nine weeks after their application has been submitted - if its application has been shortlisted.
"After this initial phase, there will be additional selection phases. Time-frames for these subsequent phases will be communicated to applicants in due course."
