Tararua farmers and growers get $1m funding for cyclone relief

The cyclone affected many rural communities in the Tararua district. Photo / Tararua District Council

Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis says securing $1 million for the district from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ $35.4 million package to support the recovery of rural communities affected by North Island weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle, is a wonderful result.

The announcement of the funding will come as a welcome relief to many local farmers and growers, as results from the Tararua Impact Assessment Survey, undertaken in June, identified about $7.8 million of damage to farms within the district, and farmers reporting their insurance cover was less than 5 per cent of their total damage.

“Being able to secure $1 million for our district is a wonderful result,” Collis said.

“Many of our farmers and growers have already spent large, unbudgeted amounts of money to get their farms functioning at a safe and manageable level through the winter months. It is our hope that the fund will offer some relief to those who are carrying considerable financial burden because of these severe weather events.”

Cyclone recovery programme manager Don Cameron says farmers have faced significant challenges on their land and in their businesses since the cyclone.

“Winter conditions and ongoing rainfall have compounded those challenges. It’s hugely positive that this fund can assist them in regaining a sense of normality in their day-to-day farming operations by addressing those urgent works,” he said.

The Tararua on Track fund is for primary producers residing in the Tararua district who have been adversely affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Farmers and growers can apply to the fund for uninsured costs of critical repairs on land and farms that will boost health and safety and protect animal welfare.

These critical repairs may include repairs to farm tracks that provide critical access, reinstatement of critical water supply infrastructure, reinstatement of boundary fencing, floodgate structures and resilience work on private land where there are risks to public access.

The fund can assist farmers and growers in two ways. The first is reimbursement of costs for uninsured critical repairs already complete. The second is for uninsured works yet to be completed; however, farmers and growers must be able to have these works done by December 31.

Applications for the Tararua On Track Fund are open now until Friday, October 6, at www.tararuadc.govt.nz/tararua-on-track