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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has got into the act over the drought by announcing a major new relief package in Northland.
Last week she visited Northland with ministers to announce a $12 million assistance package.
She says the rural sector across the North Island is currently doing it tough with significant and sustained droughts in many areas. The PM says water is running low across the board – for drinking supplies, the primary sector and firefighting storage – and help is need to get communities through this.
The $12 million package includes $10 million for what the government calls ‘immediate needs’ such as delivering water for consumption, sanitation, wastewater systems, stock welfare and horticulture. It will also include $421,000 to extend the reach of rural assistance payments – which can be used to buy water and $2 million to support farmers and growers in drought hit areas across the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands
It seems this latest package is not only designed to help farmers and horticulturalists but also to ensure that all rural communities have plentiful supplies of water which would be needed in the event of any outbreak of corona virus where personal hygiene would be a key factor.
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Limping towards the end of the season is how Richard Walker describes the situation he's facing due to prolonged drought in coastal areas of Taranaki.
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Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
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