$500,000 fund to boost Northland flood recovery efforts
The government has allocated $500,000 to support flood relief activities in Northland.
The move comes after a once-in-500-years storm struck the region on July 17 and 18, causing flooding and millions of dollars of damage to homes and buildings.
Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin said organisations providing services and projects supporting flood recovery efforts will be able to request for grants from the fund from today.
“The Lottery Grants Board recognised the considerable impact that the flooding has had on the communities of Northland and so funding will be available to support impacted community facilities, marae and community organisations that are providing welfare support in the region,” she said.
Department of Internal Affairs, which administers Lottery funding on the Board’s behalf, will be working with the region’s local councils, iwi, hapū and other key stakeholders to assess how the funding can be used and how it will be distributed.
The assessment of community need is at an early stage, and grant money is not available to individuals who have suffered personal loss or property damage.
The Board has previously provided funding to support community responses to natural disasters, including the Tasman fires, Edgecumbe flooding and the Christchurch and the Hurunui/Kāikoura/Marlborough earthquakes.
Damage caused by recent floods in Northland that have been called a once in 500-year event are expected to cost insurance companies millions of dollars.
Further information, including how to apply for funding relating to the Northland flood, can be found at www.communitymatters.govt.nz...
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!