Damien O’Connor: NZ united on global trade
When it comes to international trade, politicians from all sides of the aisle are united, says Labour's trade spokesman Damien O'Connor.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni says the Government has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green to help with relief efforts.
“$500,000 is being made available to provide unskilled and semi-skilled jobs for local people who will support farmers, growers, and communities by completing clean-up work on their properties,” Sepuloni says.
“The damage to farms, homes, roads, and bridges across the regions affected is extensive and no doubt will take a long time to be fully assessed. By making this funding available, local councils and other authorised agencies can hire job seekers to help.”
The flooding and storm damage in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty has also been classified as a medium-scale adverse event, which unlocks extra support for farmers and growers.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says some areas have recorded “unprecedented” levels of rain, which has flooded farmland, damaged infrastructure, and washed away crops.
“The record rainfall comes on top of what has been a challenging and wet season for many in the upper North Island, which compounds the stress for people. It’s important we contribute to helping farmers and growers who have managed their way through these events.
“Funding of $200,000 will be allocated to Rural Support Trusts who know their communities and what support is required to help people through.”
Rural Communities and Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty says the targeted funding is on top of more than $1 million the Government has contributed to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help Auckland communities.
“While the full extent of the damage will take weeks to be revealed, it is clear there has been significant impacts on communities, farmers, and growers across the upper North Island. We’ll be keeping a close eye on things over the coming weeks and whether further support is required.”
Government agencies, councils and sector groups will continue to work together to monitor the storm’s impact and determine where support should be targeted to the greatest need.
In addition to the funding announced today, Inland Revenue is set to activate its Adverse Event Income Equalisation Scheme for the affected regions. This will enable farming businesses to even out income fluctuations by spreading their gross income from year to year.
