Macindoe Tim: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Macindoe Tim: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:666;Page:13841] 
6. 
TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West) 
 to the  
Minister for Social Development and Employment 
: What is the Government doing to support the Canterbury community through the earthquake recovery? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Social Development and Employment) 
: 
 Today we announced that a special community response round will take place for Canterbury; $7.5 million has been put aside to provide one-off grants. The criteria will be simple: funding will be granted to groups that are facing additional demand for services as a result of need from people who are affected by the earthquake and that are supporting the well-being of Canterbury residents. The applications will open on Monday and they will be responded to as they come in instead of waiting for an end date for applications. 
Tim Macindoe 
: How is the Government ensuring that those impacted by the earthquake have access to counselling and trauma support? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Yesterday we announced $2.5 million for counselling and trauma support. The demand and the intensity of the support needed is only beginning to emerge for many. It is clear though that people are tired feeling very frazzled and feeling the effects of the earthquake and the aftershocks that keep coming as well. We are making sure that help is available to them at all levels. So far we have had more than 40 extra counsellors fly into Christchurch and that is just the beginning of the need. 
Tim Macindoe 
: Can the Minister update us on the progress of the Government’s helpline? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: The 0800 779 997 Government helpline is being run through Work and Income throughout New Zealand. I went and saw one of the call centres here in Wellington this morning. The staff are certainly doing some incredible hours and some incredible work. So far they have had a total of well over 8500 calls with more than 700 of them received just today. They have made contact now with over 14000 outbound calls to senior citizens beginning with those whom they believed were living alone to see whether they can help. They are now starting to reach out to those on invalids benefits and those whom they know have illnesses to make sure that they are OK as well. Of the ones whom they are unable to get hold of so far they have made over 200 home visits to those people to check that they are all right. 
Hon Annette King 
: What provision has been made by Work and Income to assist Cantabrians who work in the casualised workforce—for example home-care providers who have been unable to provide their service because of the earthquake so therefore are not receiving their usual income or getting the employer top-up but their outgoings remain the same? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Provision has been made for that through the civil defence payment which is at the same rate as the unemployment benefit including the married rate and can be made available to those with a loss of income because they are unable to work because of the earthquake. 
Tim Macindoe 
: What other support has the Government given to those who are supporting the clean-up? 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: Yesterday I visited some of those Canterbury University students who are out shovelling silt and cleaning up the roads around them. Those students were mobilised through Facebook and I believe that today so many turned up that some had to be turned away. The Prime Minister and I were talking the other night in support of those students who are doing such a great job and we thought that just a wee payment of $5000 would help them with some of their transport costs to buy the equipment that they need and to feed them which is probably the best way to get to students. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Give them all As! 
Hon PAULA BENNETT 
: The member on the other side of the House is yelling out that we should give them As. We also hear that school students who cannot be at school at the moment because schools are closed are turning up. There are many many hundreds of New Zealanders fronting up and wanting to help at this time and we all certainly thank them for that.