Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers  
Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers  
[Volume:615;Page:10999] 
1. DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) 
 to the  
Minister of Civil Defence 
: How has civil defence reacted in the current emergencies? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Minister of Civil Defence) 
: 
 Coordination of response has been very good. Emergency services including civil defence staff police firefighters ambulance and volunteers have worked well together with good support from other agencies particularly defence. The impacts of the event have been felt over a wide area the areas most affected being the Manawatu and Rangitikei districts. Wanganui is currently assessing whether to declare a state of civil emergency and is concerned about the hinterlands; but other areas including the Hutt Valley have also been impacted. People have come together from far and wide to help their neighbours and people they have not met before. Professionals and volunteers have worked extremely well together. 
Darren Hughes 
: What financial assistance can the Government make available to these regions under stress? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The Government provides support in a number of areas. The cost of food water and shelter for evacuees is fully recoverable by local authorities from the Government. Through Transfund New Zealand the Government will make available to local authorities resources for bridge and road repairs at 100 percent for State highways and up to 85 percent for local networks. The Government will provide financial assistance to councils to repair damage to essential service infrastructure. The Defence Force has contributed personnel equipment and other resources and the Government has contributed $20000 to each of the Manawatu and Rangitikei district councils’ mayoral relief funds. Other agencies also help. 
Simon Power 
: How can the Government expect the people of Rangitikei and Manawatu to take seriously an offer of $20000 to each council as an emergency fund when the Government gave $5.8 million to Niue for reconstruction after its natural disaster? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I think the member does not understand what I said in the answer to the last question. If he had listened he would know that we are making funds available to repair infrastructure and to help with evacuees across a number of agencies—the Earthquake Commission Work and Income and Housing New Zealand Corporation. We are helping in as many ways as possible but at the moment people are still trying to get people into safe conditions and will make sure that those matters are looked at very closely. 
Larry Baldock 
: Were civil defence efforts hampered by the poor quality of roads in the Wellington region; and would the apparent vulnerability of these roads have civil defence implications in the event of an even more serious emergency such as a major earthquake along the Wellington fault line? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Those questions really relate to a scene where a civil emergency was not declared. There was not a need to declare it and of course those are questions that have answers that can be looked into in the future. But at the moment we are dealing with two district councils that have declared and possibly a third one that will declare. 
Jill Pettis 
: Can the Minister please further advise the House what will happen for those families who have lost their homes their businesses and their livestock? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Civil defence’s main aim is to preserve life. So far there has been no loss of life in the areas where civil defence emergencies have been declared. Once the initial danger has passed then local authorities and others will work together to resolve the situation they find themselves in. The other agencies of Government will play their part in the recovery. 
Simon Power 
: What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister of Agriculture over support that may be offered from that particular avenue given reports of whole dairy herds being swept to sea hay sheds being destroyed and hundreds of sheep being swept out to sea? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I have spoken to a number of colleagues. This is a whole-of-Government response and I am sure that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will do its part to make sure that the damage is minimised as far as the farmers are concerned. We are concerned about the farmers; we are concerned about the livestock and the crops.