North Island weather events response

Kānoa has administered over $335 million in response and recovery initiatives, supporting around 5,000 funding recipients in their recovery from the impacts of the severe weather events.

Kānoa has administered the following government financial support in response to the North Island Weather Events of 2023:

The Business Support Grants Programme was the first business support response to Cyclone Gabrielle. Initially set at $25 million, it sat alongside funding support from MPI to farmers and growers, and targeted non-primary producing businesses that needed immediate cashflow support to assist with recovery. Grants of up to $40,000 per business were available from local delivery partners in each impacted region. The Programme was expanded to $75 million. Over $61 million was distributed to nearly 5,000 impacted businesses. $10 million of the Programme underspend was then used to fund Regional Recovery Projects.

Kānoa supported local delivery partners in delivering these grants. The Programme has closed, and all unspent funding has been repaid to MBIE.

In March 2023, the government chartered a vessel to establish an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier to support businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti.

Over the course of 3 months, the vessel made 18 voyages, carrying 294 containers between Gisborne and Napier between 20 March and 31 May 2023.

The shipping route was funded through a $2.750 million allocation from the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund (RSPF).

Following the devastation in Tairāwhiti, 3 regionally significant businesses were identified as creating important economic activity for the region as well as being substantial local employers.

These businesses received loans from the RSPF to support the effort to restore stability and grow the region’s agricultural sector.

The $240 million NIWE PPFS was announced on 29 June 2023 to provide additional support to severely affected land-based primary producing businesses that have a reasonable pathway back to viability but are currently unable to access standard forms of lending.  

The NIWE PPFS is administered by Kānoa – RDU.

North Island Weather Events Primary Producer Finance Scheme

In September 2023, the Government announced a $10 million package supporting 9 regional projects aiming to support economic recovery in Hawke’s Bay, Tairāwhiti and Northland. These projects will be delivered in the short term and align with the relevant regional recovery plans and will enable economic recovery in their region.

The funding for the projects is administered by Kānoa - RDU and comes from the final allocation of the $75 million interim recovery package established earlier this year in 2023 to provide support for businesses impacted by the North Island weather events.

Projects being funded include regional tourism recovery programmes, infrastructure resilience, and training and accommodation support to rebuild workforces.