Auckland floods: More than $1 million in rates relief paid out

A police officer places a red sticker on a house on Shore Rd, Remuera after heavy rain caused landslips and widespread destruction across the Auckland region. Photo / Alex Burton

Auckland Council has paid out over $1 million in rates relief for those who were left with inhabitable homes after the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.

Additionally, more than $2m has been given out so far as a part of the Emergency Relief Fund, which provides financial support to individuals, community groups and marae in Auckland that were impacted by the severe weather events.

Residents in the vast number of red- and yellow-stickered homes were left frustrated about having to pay rates for homes they were not allowed to live in.

The rates relief fund was open from April 18 to May 5 and received 806 applications seeking coverage of the full third- and fourth-quarter rates instalments. Of this number, 792 were granted that relief, which came to a total of $1.3m which was given out today.

Around 40 per cent of the relief went to West Auckland, 30 per cent to central Auckland, and 20 per cent and 10 per cent to properties in the north and south respectively.

Rates relief has been provided to people whose homes were damaged by the summer's severe weather events.

Rates remission was also applied to Waste Management for red-stickered properties for the third and fourth quarters of this financial year.

Under the fund, penalties were also dropped on red- and yellow-stickered properties that missed the February and May rates instalments.

Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson said she championed the fund at the Governing Body level so that it can provide “welcome assistance for what has been a challenging few months for many”.

“I am very happy that Auckland Council has started the process of paying out rates relief for homeowners affected by the January floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.”

Auckland Council group chief financial officer Peter Gudsell said the fund helped target those most badly impacted, unlike a “broadly applied rates remission”.

Emergency relief fund

Over $2m has been paid out of the Emergency Relief Fund, which was started by the mayor almost immediately after the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods.

The fund intended to target individuals, community groups and marae in Auckland affected by the floods and then was extended to those suffering after Cyclone Gabrielle.

However, this is merely a drop in the bucket considering the applications totalled an eye-watering $20m.

A total of $3.7m was raised for the fund, including $1.4m from central government, $1.1m from Auckland Council (including $1m specifically for rates relief), and $1.2m from corporates, organisations and the public.

Auckland Council head of rates, valuations and data management, Rhonwen Heath, said the fund was “significantly oversubscribed”.

“When assessing the applications, the team worked hard to ensure funds were distributed as equitably as possible. We aimed to prioritise those most in need, with the first payments going out in March 2023,” Heath said.

“Applications came from all over Auckland, with around 30 per cent from south and southeast Auckland, and a similar amount from suburbs in central Auckland and the isthmus. Around a quarter were from the west, and around 15 per cent from the North Shore.”

Heath said the most requested items were bedding, food, home appliances and furniture.