Ngā Kairauhī Papa | Forever protected
Adverse weather events can have a devastating impact on many landowners, farmers and people in urban and rural communities.
Please contact your regional representative for advice if there is damage to your covenant due to a natural disaster.
Following a natural disaster or significant weather event, we will update this page with any resources and support available that may be helpful for landowners.
Our thoughts are with those affected by the latest flooding in Tasman/Marlborough, Taranaki and other areas. On this page you will find information on resources available to support those affected, as well as opportunities to contribute to the recovery.
Donate to The Stephenson Fund
Support your fellow covenantors by making a donation to the Stephenson Fund. Your donation will help fellow covenantors to enhance their covenants and support those impacted by hardship and adverse weather events.
https://qeiinationaltrust.org.nz/tsf-donate/
Farmers Adverse Events Trust
The Farmers Adverse Events Trust is a registered charity and donation receipts will be available. 100% of the funds received will go directly to support farming families on the ground.
Account Name: Farmers Adverse Events Trust
Account Number: 06-0594-0028181-30
Please use your name or organisation’s name as a reference.
For more information you can visit https://www.farmersadverseevents.co.nz/donate/
Post Your Support
Head in to your local Farmlands store today and play your part in the recovery process with a $20 gift to Post Your Support. If you can afford more, we encourage you to give as generously as you can.
https://www.farmlands.co.nz/emergency-resources
Nelson-Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund
If you would like to donate to the Nelson-Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund please deposit funds into the Tasman District Council bank account:
Account number: 12-3193-0002048-00
Account name: Tasman District Council
Please use the reference “Mayoral Relief Fund”, or “MRF”
If you are asked to select a TDC account, select the Debtors account. This will allow you to edit the first and third reference boxes, as shown below.
(Your name) | Debtors | Relief Fund
Alternatively, you may donate at a Tasman District Council office.
https://www.nelsontasmancivildefence.co.nz/home/mayoral-relief-fund/
Support with covenant repairs
You can apply for a grant to support repair works to your covenant through The Stephenson Fund citing hardship.
Applications are now open for the 2025 round of The Stephenson Fund and will close at 5pm on Sunday 31 August.
Other financial assistance
Financial assistance is available in several ways from Civil Defence payments to government grants to tax relief. See below for information and links on what support is available.
Wellbeing support
Call the Rural Support Trust freephone number to be directed to your local Rural Support Trust. All calls are completely confidential. 0800 787 254 (8am – 6pm)
Other support:
Business support
Animal welfare
Your livestock may also have been affected by adverse weather. It’s also important to support their welfare.
Insurance support
Civil Defence has put together this useful fact sheet with information about support available. This covers a range of topics from financial support, insurance, animal welfare, healthcare services, wellbeing and more.
The Government is providing $51 million to kick-start recovery efforts for farmers and growers significantly affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. This is being distributed by MPI through the farmer and grower recovery grant.
More information about the grant, including eligibility, how much you can apply for and the application form, can be found on the MPI website.
People in Hawke’s Bay who have been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle can now apply for assistance from the Hawke’s Bay Disaster Relief Fund.
The fund offers a maximum of $1,000 per property or $2,000 for organisations as one-off grants to alleviate hardship due to flooding, prolonged power outages and landslips.
For the rural community, applications can be extended to provide some assistance for emergency funding requirements for livestock and disposal of dead stock.
If you have silt waste on a lifestyle block, farm or orchard, the Hawkes Bay Regional Council can help remove larger volume.
Contact them on 06 835 9200 or 0800 108 838 and they will coordinate with a contractor to get it removed. Landowners are asked to remove the silt from around vines or trees and move it to a location on their own property with access for trucks.
Note: they do not coordinate residential silt removal. If you’re in a residential area looking for assistance, EQC have advice here.
WRC have funding schemes for land management and biodiversity works, which you may have received when setting up your QEII covenant. If your covenant has been affected by the recent weather events, please your local WRC Catchment Management Officer, as they have a maintenance budget to help you re-establish any previously funded works, if eligible.
WRC’s Coromandel and Hauraki Zones have a 35% subsidy for materials and labour, towards fencing and planting under the catchment new works budget, where land use will happen from a pastural stock regime to retirement from stock. This funding is available to landowners who sign an Environment Programme Agreement with WRC and is also useful for landowners who now need to mitigate landslips in pastoral areas by retiring them or have bush and stream areas that need to have stock excluded.
Contact WRC on 0800 800 401 for more information.
Auckland Council have established a fund to provide one-off financial support to those that have been affected by flooding and landslips. Further information and the online application form can be found here.
Updates on repairs to infrastructure and other avenues for support can be found on the Auckland Emergency Management website.
The Rural Support Trust is coordinating with local civil defence groups to provide support and volunteer assistance on the ground in affected areas. Contact your local group for more information, request assistance or to volunteer. A wide variety of advice relevant for rural landowners is also available on the Rural Support Trust website.
Mayoral Relief Funds have been set up for Auckland, Tairāwhiti, Thames-Coromandel, Hawke’s Bay, Tararua, Wairarapa, Taranaki and Taupō regions. Needs assessments are still being carried out in some areas to ensure donations are being directed towards providing the support that is most needed. Contact your local council for details.
Federated Farmers has set up the Farmy Army, a group of volunteers to aid farmers with clean up jobs on their farms.
The application form for support from the Farmy Army can be done online here.
If you would like to volunteer, you can do that here.
Farmlands, Federated Farmers and Stuff have come together to help people get their farm or orchard back up and running.
Post Your Support is a partnership between Farmlands, Federated Farmers and Stuff to provide the funds, the materials and the person-power that you need on the ground to get fences and growing structures up.
Grants can be applied for up to a maximum of $5,000 per application. To find out more and to apply, head to this page.
For completed projects co-funded by Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR), KMR is offering to repair or replace fencing and planting damaged by the storms.
More info here.
