Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell visited today and was taken by helicopter to see the damage across the region.

The Minister, alongside Mayor Tim King Mayor Nick Smith and Deputy Mayor Stu Bryant have announced that the Mayoral Relief Fund is now open, with the Minister announcing an immediate $100,000 into the fund.

This fund will help residents to access funds to deal with issues in the immediate term.

How to donate

If you would like to donate to the Nelson-Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund please deposit funds into the Tasman District Council bank account:

12-3193-0002048-00

Please use the reference “Mayoral Relief Fund”.

Any donations will be eligible for a donation tax credit.

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

Information for potential applicants: Who can apply?

For applications, please email mayoralrelief@tasman.govt.nz\

Details and criteria are being confirmed and will be available here as soon as possible.

Why you might apply:

If you (or someone you know) are experiencing financial hardship due to the June 2025 weather event/flooding, you can apply for money from this fund.

Financial hardship is different for everyone.

What it may look like:

  • Difficulty paying for your essential living costs (such as food, medication, accommodation)
  • Difficulty paying for additional costs that may not be paid for by your insurer (for example clean up, disposal of goods).

Note: these are examples and not a full list of what the fund could be used for.

Why you may NOT be eligible:

If you are receiving funding assistance from any other source/government organisation for the same item/s, you may not be eligible for the fund.

How the fund can help you:

The fund can help pay for:

  • Essential items/essentials of daily life (e.g. food, accommodation, utilities) not covered by insurance or other funds (such as WINZ, EQC);
  • Extra financial burden (including significant loss of income), costs due to the June 2025 flood event not covered by insurance or other funds; and
  • Family or personal crises, support for which is not covered by insurance, another agency or fund (such as MSD);

The aim is these grants go some way towards helping alleviate the emotional and financial stress experienced by individuals and families due to the June 2025 flood event.

The fund provides assistance on a one-off basis for extraordinary circumstances, where real need can be shown.

The fund is a last resort measure when people have exhausted other appropriate sources such as Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ), the Rural Support Trust, EQC, and other government agencies.