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1488 days ago

$500,000 fund to boost Northland flood recovery efforts

Ripu Bhatia Reporter from Community News

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...

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More messages from your neighbours
6 days ago

Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?

Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱

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Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
  • 48.1% Yes
    48.1% Complete
  • 50% No
    50% Complete
  • 1.9% Other - I'll share below
    1.9% Complete
3422 votes
18 minutes ago

Rubbish bins

Susan from Kamo

I posted a message about the disappearing rubbish bins in Whangarei a week or so ago (but I limited the area). However, I’ll leave this open to a wider area this time. Apparently this is not just limited to Whangarei. However, I went to the Whangarei District Council website, and sent a general enquiry email as to why this was happening. About a week later, I did get a phone call back. I had mentioned two particular bins that had been removed. The man I spoke with was not aware they had been removed! What I found out is that the rubbish bins are emptied by an outside contractor, not city workers. They come and say they find maybe a single coffee cup in a bin and think the bin doesn’t need to be there, so THEY remove the bin! The more I thought about this, the more I thought this is pure laziness - the more bins removed, the less work that has to be done. How much effort does it take to look in a bin and see the liner does not need to be changed? Where one bin has been removed, there is now rubbish in it’s place. I noticed the bins at a couple of bus stops have also been removed, and there is rubbish on the ground - exactly where the bins used to be! I have been told that one of the bins I emailed about will be replaced. And I will follow up on that if it isn’t back in place in two weeks. (This outside contractor is also supposed to be picking up rubbish twice a week along the Kamo shared pathway as well!)
So - if you noticed bins are missing and they need to be put back, send an email to WDC and tell them the location and that there is rubbish there and the bin needs to be replaced! Rate payers are paying for this service, no doubt.

6 days ago

Here's Tuesday's teaser!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I’m found in socks, scarves, and mittens; and often in the paws of playful kittens. What am I?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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