May 25 deadline for Red Cross Disaster Fund applications

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

Applications to the New Zealand Red Cross Disaster Fund will stop next week, with the $25  million fund already likely oversubscribed.

“The fund has attracted a very large number of applications, especially in the last few weeks. It’s likely applications received so far will exhaust the grant funding available at this stage,” a statement said.

“As a result, we will be pausing the grants process for new applications, and these must now be made by 5pm Thursday, May 25, to be considered.”

To date, the fund has committed $5.3m of funds across 41 applications, with 181 applications received in total.

“Round 2 of the Enable Grants was due to close on May 17. To allow organisations who had intended to apply as part of Round 3, we have extended this closing date to 5pm May 25,” the statement said.

The most recent grant awarded was $250,000 to Federated Farmers to help boost the Farmy Army volunteers providing vital assistance to East Coast and Northland farmers and growers affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“The lives and livelihoods of many hundreds of rural families and businesses have been turned upside down by the storm and flooding,” Federated Farmers adverse events manager Julie Geange said,

“For many of them, restoring their properties will take months, even years.

“Fencelines, access roads and infrastructure vital to our food and fibre producers in Hawke’s Bay, Tairāwhiti, Northland and other regions have been damaged or destroyed.

“The Farmy Army volunteers are people familiar with repairing fences, using chainsaws, driving bulldozers and tractors, etc., and more than 600 of them have registered to spend a day or two — sometimes weeks — helping cyclone-hit families and producers get back on their feet.

“Well over 1200 volunteer hours on dozens of farms have been put in so far. The grant will help with logistics and other expenses and enable off-farm events.

“These events help exhausted and stressed farmers, workers and family members escape the clean-up work for a few hours to socialise, recharge and swap advice on what’s worked best for them.”