$7.4m fund to help businesses affected by silt in cyclone

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

Applications have opened for commercial entities affected by silt from Cyclone Gabrielle to apply for financial support.

The $7.4m funding from Central Government enables businesses in Tairāwhiti to process and dispose of sediment and debris on commercial properties.

The council’s Group Manager Recovery Anita Reedy-Holthausen  has welcomed the funding and says with an estimated five million cubic metres of silt on orchards, farms, roads and properties, it will be put to good use.

“We know this isn’t going to cover everyone’s costs for silt removal,” she said.

“So many businesses and organisations have been impacted, and we will be prioritising the funding based on those who find it most difficult to recover without assistance.”

“This fund is to pay for services for cleaning up and managing silt and debris. It is not to pay for buying equipment such as diggers and tractors.”

The eligibility criteria has been set by Government.

Commercial entities will be able to access a grant of up to $40,000 (GST exclusive), depending on whether they have previously received any other grants and funds. They may also be eligible for up to $210,000 (GST exclusive) for reimbursement on a 50:50 cost-share basis.

Applications for the first tranche of $2.5m opened yesterday, and will close on  August 4.

Tranche two has another $2m available and will run from August 21 to September 15, while tranche three, which has $3m, will be open from October 2-October 20.

“Hui are planned for the coming weeks and assistance will be given to those who need guiding through the process,” Ms Reedy-Holthausen said.

“Even though we have allocated funding per tranche we will be flexible across tranches depending on the uptake by applicants.

“We’re aware that we may not have seen the last of these extreme weather events and we continue to campaign Government for more funding to help our region get back on its feet, and that won’t change.”

There are also other sources of funding support for commercial entities and you can keep up to date through the information on the website gdc.govt.nz or the Government’s recovery website Cyclone Recovery Unit .