Of the funding, $4m is for providers to ensure they can meet increased demand and support wellbeing of their staff and volunteers due to flooding and cyclone.
Another $1m is to replenish stocks at food banks currently experiencing high demand, $2m to community groups to support flood response, $4m for people supporting Auckland and impacted regions’ flood response efforts and $500,000 to respond to the needs of disabled people.
“Over 25,000 people have been supported with food, clothing, shelter, bedding and medication,” Sepuloni said.
“People have lost their homes and vehicles, families are facing additional challenges getting their children back to school and many families will be facing anxiety and distress from the significant disruption of the floods and impending cyclone.
“While we’re not out of the woods yet and the full extent of both adverse weather events unfolding, we need to act swiftly to ensure people can continue to access support, whether that be through their church, marae or youth group for example.
“Our focus remains on the most affected communities including Māori, Pacific, disabled, youth and our ethnic communities, and the organisations and groups that work to support them.”
The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) also covers reimbursement of welfare costs incurred by local authorities in caring for directly affected people in an emergency, essential infrastructure and recovery repairs and contributions to Local Authority Disaster Relief Funds (usually Mayoral Relief Funds).
“As we brace ourselves for the anticipated impact of Cyclone Gabrielle, my message to Aucklanders is to look after yourselves and those in your household.,” Sepuloni said.
“After making my way across the Civil Defence Centres over the last three days, I’m heartened by the tireless efforts, commitment and dedication of everyone who are supporting, serving and leading the response on the ground. We will get through this.”
Hipkins said advice had not changed, telling people to stay inside and have a plan in case they need to move, as more bad weather was expected.
For Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty, the start of the year has been “incredibly challenging” and “just exhausting” for families, he said.
He heralded the efforts of emergency service providers who have been out at all hours to keep people safe. “We say thank you to you.”
Meanwhile social services were stretched to capacity, with nearly 25,000 people receiving support for food, shelter and accommodation, among other things.
Today’s $11.5m package - reallocated from underspent Covid-19 funding - would provide a significant boost to the families who are most in need.
Community groups will be able to access the funding through the usual channels they access support through.
On whether a national state of emergency would be announced, Hipkins said he was provided with an update on that every four hours but that threshold hadn’t yet been met.
Hipkins said extra first responders were being parachuted in from other parts of the country, such as the Wellington Free Ambulance, and that support would not be confined to Auckland.
The military had been on the ground in Auckland “more or less from the beginning”. There wasn’t a clear understanding of what particular areas would be hit hardest in the coming days but Hipkins was confident the NZDF personnel could be moved quickly.
Hipkins said he had relished the chance to be in Auckland to be closer to the teams organising the flood response and the impact on people.
On the week ahead, Hipkins said he would be in Auckland in the morning before hopefully travelling to Wellington. He would then have a phone call with the British PM which will include discussions on the UK FTA.
He will also have a conversation with the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and will be meeting Princess Anne as part of her visit to New Zealand.
The cyclone had thrown a “spanner in the works” as to how Parliament will work in the coming weeks and Hipkins said it was likely the Speaker would address that in due course.
If Hipkins cannot return to Wellington it could also have an impact on the opening of Parliament tomorrow, when Hipkins is due to deliver the PM’s statement setting out his plans for the year.
Hipkins had planned to open Parliament with a Prime Minister’s Statement - the traditional way Parliament usually begins the year.
Parliament’s Business Committee has decided that it will open Parliament on Tuesday with a motion on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and a Ministerial Statement on the recent weather events.
Non-controversial legislation will then be progressed. Hipkins will not present his ministerial statement until Wednesday, and the first Question Time will not take place until Thursday.
Party leaders are usually absent on a Thursday but Hipkins is understood to be likely to attend for the first Question Time of the year.
The flight cancellations around much of the North Island will make it difficult for a lot of MPs to get to Wellington.
It comes as Auckland, Northland, Gisborne, and Coromandel are under red weather warnings due to Cyclone Gabrielle, which made landfall in Aotearoa on Sunday. The rest of the North Island and the top of the South Island are under an orange warning.
Local states of emergency have been declared in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Gisborne and Ōpōtiki.
Monster waves and rising seas are starting to cause havoc in Coromandel and Northland and heavy rain - bringing localised slips and flooding - is likely in Auckland this afternoon and evening, says the MetService.
Houses are beginning to flood in the Coromandel, and people located in low-lying areas close to the rivers in the Whangārei CBD and Town Basin area were asked by the local emergency operations centre to self-evacuate before high tide at 1.56pm today because of a high-risk of tidal flooding.
At the 2pm emergency briefing today, MetService forecaster Georgina Griffiths said Auckland was seeing a pause in winds whipped up Cyclone Gabrielle - but rain was on the way.
Localised impacts, such as flooding and slips, were likely, she said. But not everyone would see the heavy rain. She said residents were about halfway through the cyclone impacts - with better weather forecast from Wednesday.
Parts of Auckland that had not yet seen challenging wind conditions were likely to see them tomorrow and Great Barrier Island - which was very close to the cyclone - was in for a “hard night”.
Griffiths said the central pressures of Cyclone Gabrielle were very low and did “pack a punch”.
A 2am high tide in Auckland could bring about half a metre storm surge on the east coastline of the city. There would be extremely large waves of 5-8m coming in, she said.
At a briefing from the National Crisis Management Centre - also known as the Beehive Bunker - acting director Civil Defence Emergency Management Roger Ball urged people to stay safe and not take any chances.
The Cyclone Gabrielle weather system was expected to re-curve towards Great Barrier Island this evening.
“We are not through the worst of it yet,” Ball said.
Nearly 60,000 people were without power as of this morning and for many it could take days for it to be restored.
