Tuesday, 03 August 2021 08:56

More assistance for drought and flood-affected rural communities

Written by Staff Reporters

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Flood-affected farmers and growers are now able to receive further Government assistance. Photo Credit: ECan Media Team

Farmers and growers affected by drought or floods in Marlborough, Tasman, West Coast, Canterbury, Otago and the Chatham Islands will have access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs), Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni has announced.

“The Government is committed to easing the financial pressures on farmers and growers and help secure their recovery given the recent droughts and floods that have affected their incomes,” Sepuloni said.

“The Rural Support Trusts in all these areas have been doing great work in the region, and the Ministry of Social Development will be working closely with them to get support to those who need it.”

She added that the Government has also activated Enhanced Taskforce Green, Temporary Accommodation Service and invested more than $6 million to help rural communities recover from recent adverse events.

“We know droughts and floods take a long time to recover from. We encourage farmers and growers to make contact with their Rural Support Trust to see what support may be available for them to access. The work of the Trusts is considerable and hugely appreciated,” said agriculture minister Damien O’Connor.

The drought in Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and the Chatham Islands was classified as a large-scale as a large-scale adverse event by O’Connor on 12 March 2021. The flooding in Canterbury was classified as a medium-scale adverse event on 1 June 2021, and the flooding in the West Coast, Marlborough and Nelson was classified as a medium-scale adverse event on 18 July 2021.

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