Tairāwhiti businesses can now apply for a business support grant of up to $40,000 to support their recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Government has allocated $4.5 million in this tranche of funding for the region, with applications now open.
The Trust is one of seven agencies delivering the $25 million recovery package to flood affected regions around the North Island.
To apply for support, businesses must meet the following criteria:
- face significant cashflow issues due to continued challenges with customer access, ability to source stock, supply chain issues, inability to operate as usual due to physical damage to equipment or premises, or delays in insurance assessment and repairs
- be an otherwise viable business both before and after the flooding
- not have received any funding from the MPI recovery fund
- commit to acting in line with employment law and with due regard to its employees.
Meeting these criteria is essential to ensure funding is provided to those who need it most, and to ensure funds are distributed fairly and effectively. There is significant demand for these grants, please only request what you need so the fund can support as many local businesses as possible.
To apply, you will need to provide key details about your business, including a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN), GST and IRD numbers, staff numbers, along with expected losses and how you intend to spend the grant.
We’re working hard to process applications as quickly as possible and will contact businesses within a few days to let them know the outcome. Please don’t apply more than once or contact the Trust to check the status of an application as it will slow the process.
The Trust is facilitating the grant process for this region but all funding approvals will be made by an independent panel that includes representatives from business, iwi and local government. Trust employees or trustees are not on the panel.
A full list of grant recipients and the amount they received will be published on a publicly accessible register.
All applications could be subject to audit by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.