Cyclone-hit families and businesses receive council hardship grants

Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne says every person and business who applied for financial aid following ex-Cyclones Fehi and Gita will receive a grant.
The ex-cyclones delivered severe weather which brought significant rainfall to the Tasman region and many homes and businesses were flooded, while the rain also caused numerous slips.
The Council had $132,000 to allocate to those experiencing hardship following the February storms, provided by the Ministries of Civil Defence and Business, Innovation and Employment, the Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund, and donations from community members and organisations.
Richard says the council received 40 applications for financial assistance and everyone who applied would receive a grant.
“Because the funding was limited and the needs of the community widespread, we imposed a cap of $5000 on the grants.
We weren’t able to give all the applicants the full amount they requested, but everyone will receive some assistance. I really hope the money helps the recipients, their families and businesses recover from the effects of the devastating weather we’ve experienced.”
Independent advisors from the Nelson Regional Development Agency, Nelson Building Society, Golden Bay and Nelson-Tasman Chamber of Commerce assessed the applications against the criteria, and made recommendations to a panel of councillors who approved the final grant allocations.
The assistance is on top of the $5 million the Council has spent on flood recovery work to public land and infrastructure such as roads, pipework, parks and public reserves.
The recipients were advised of the outcome of their applications on Friday, 15 June, and will receive the money this week.