Northland storm: $500,000 of Lotteries money to help communities hard hit by July storm

Moerewa was one of the hardest hit communities from last month's massive storm, with dozens of homes flooded, including Skip Kidwell's Pembroke St house, and Otiria Marae also deluged.

More government funding has been announced to help Northland recover from last month's devastating storm.

A $500,000 fund has been allocated to support flood relief activities in Northland after the storm of July 17/18 dumped 220mm of rain on the region in a few hours.

The money is on top of more than $26 million pledged by the Government to strengthen Northland roads and protect the region from future floods in the wake of the deluge. That cash will come from the Provincial Growth and the Covid Response and Recovery funds.

The storm saw dozens of homes flooded and evacuated, with Moerewa one of the worst-hit settlements, roads blocked through flooding and slips. A massive slip that closed State Highway 1 through Mangamuka Gorge is not expected to be fixed until at October at the earliest.

The storm also caused more than $18 million of damages to publicly owned infrastructure across the region. Many millions more damage was caused to private property.

Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced yesterday that Lottery Funding was available to help community groups following the widespread flood damage which occurred in the region on July 17/18.

"The Lottery Grants Board recognised the considerable impact that the flooding has had on the communities of Northland and so funding will be available to support impacted community facilities, marae and community organisations that are providing welfare support in the region," Martin, who is Presiding Member of the Lottery Grants Board, said.

She said the assessment of community need was at an early stage. The Department of Internal Affairs, which administers Lottery funding on the board's behalf, will be working with the region's local councils, iwi, hapū and other key stakeholders to assess how the funding can be used and how it will be distributed.

The July 17/18 storm, that dumped 220mm of rain on the region in a few hours, left Hikurangi Swamp flooded, including the farm of Geoff Crawford, above.

However, the grant money is not available to individuals who have suffered personal loss or property damage.

The board has previously provided funding to support community responses to natural
disasters, including the Tasman fires, Edgecumbe flooding, and the Christchurch and Hurunui/Kāikoura/Marlborough earthquakes.

Further information, including how to apply for funding, can be found at https://www.communitymatters.govt.nz/northland-flood-recovery-fund-2