$70m in quake allocation confirmed

The Government has announced $70 million worth of allocations from its Canterbury Earthquake Appeal fund. Photo / Getty images

The Government has announced $70 million worth of allocations from its Canterbury Earthquake Appeal fund.

The main allocations are $10 million to be set aside for hardship cases, $20 million for sport and recreation and $20 million to heritage preservation, arts and culture.

St John was given a $2.8 million grant.

An audit of St John's equipment and resources following the February 22 aftershock showed it needed to raise more than $3 million, South Island St John general manager David Thomas said.

"The $2.8 million grant is a significant contribution towards that total."

The grant would be used to purchase ambulances, stretchers, protective gear for ambulance officers and advanced communications equipment, he said.

Since the first earthquake struck one year ago on September 4 St John had suffered a considerable loss and strain on its resources, he said.

"This grant will help us with costs incurred from the earthquakes. Our sincere thanks to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust for their support."