$500k made available for Cyclone Hale clean-up in Tairāwhiti

The Government says up to $500,000 will be made available for employing job-seekers in Tairāwhiti to clean up damage caused by Cyclone Hale.

Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced that the Enhanced Taskforce Green scheme had been activated in order to provide assistance to communities.

“We are still investigating whether other parts of the country also require support from Cyclone Hale,” she said.

“The programme will provide unskilled and semi-skilled jobs for local people who will support farmers, growers, and communities by completing clean-up work on their properties.

“It helps to return affected farms, orchards, community assets and recreational areas to the conditions they were before.”

Sepuloni is also the incoming deputy prime minister and is expected to be sworn in tomorrow.

Recent flooding in the Tairāwhiti region has caused significant damage – including to farms, homes, roads, and bridges in the area.

“While damage assessments are still being carried out, MSD will work with local organisations and communities to ensure that assistance is provided as quickly as possible to those who need this support,” Sepuloni said.

The Government activated the same scheme in the Tairāwhiti and Wairoa regions last April after extensive flooding at the time.

The Enhanced Taskforce Green scheme can be activated by the government following natural disasters, or other emergency events, that cause significant damage requiring clean-up.

According to MSD, workers involved in the scheme are job seekers who could be receiving a benefit, or they could be students, or workers displaced from their jobs because of the emergency event.