Government approves $26m grant extension for Farmers & Growers

For the re-establishment of businesses in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Government has announced a $26 million boost to the grants programme helping farmers, growers, and whenua Māori owners to re-establish their businesses in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

A total of $51 million is now available for recovery grants. The funding is to help farmers and growers get back on their feet as quickly as possible.

Grants of up to $10,000 are available for pastoral and arable farmers to help with initial recovery, such as repairs to water systems for livestock, and fencing.

Up to $2,000 per hectare (up to a maximum of $40,000) is available for growers to remove silt from trees and vines, support clean-up, and minimise future losses.

Applications for the clean-up grants are open until 20 March 2023, but those in hard-to-reach areas have until 3 April 2023. Please note that farmers and growers who have already received MPI clean-up grants are not eligible to apply again.

Our relevant web pages and fact sheets have been updated to reflect the funding boost. You can find them here and here.