3. Question No. 3—Cyclone RecoveryANNA LORCK (Labour—Tukituki) to the Minister for Cyclone RecoveryQuestion No. 3—Cyclone Recovery3. ANNA LORCK (Labour—Tukituki) to the Minister for Cyclone Recovery: What actions is the Government taking to respond to Cyclone Gabrielle?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister for Cyclone Recovery): Before I start my answer I do want to acknowledge that many of those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle are the same people affected by the extreme weather events today and we continue to express our sympathies and we will continue to support them. The Government is continuing to take action to provide certainty and assurance to communities and regions that have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. More than $860 million of additional support has been committed so far including significant investment in our roading and rail network. It also includes $75 million to help small and medium sized businesses in the clean-up from the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. More than 3500 small businesses have been approved for grants to support their recovery. The Government is supporting our rural communities through more than $73 million in direct cyclone recovery grants and funding and some 5084 applications for grants have been approved totalling $57 million in support so far. We are committed to a locally led centrally supported response working with communities to get them back on their feet and regions back moving as we move into the recovery and rebuild phases from Cyclone Gabrielle.Anna Lorck: What is the Government doing to support councils and businesses with silt and debris removal in response to the cyclone?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Last week the Government announced the allocation of $102 million to help councils process and dispose of the debris coming from residential properties and to deal with sediment on council land to make it available to the public again. There was also $70 million allocated for commercial properties adding on to already granted money including for farmers and growers to help them clean up their land and return to profit. There is also funding for debris and sediment removal from whenua Māori.Anna Lorck: What recent work has been done to assess properties affected by Cyclone Gabrielle?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: We know that this is a significant issue facing communities and we acknowledge the uncertainty and impact that this has on people and we're working very hard to provide as much certainty as soon as possible. The cyclone task force is working with councils and insurance companies to assess the risk status of affected areas. Three categories have been settled on under which the future flood- and landslide-affected properties will be assessed. The intention is to complete assessments for low-risk properties in category one quickly so that people in those homes can settle with their insurance companies and get on with their recovery. Decisions on properties under category two where community- or property-level interventions will manage future severe weather event risk and category three which will identify areas that are not safe to live in because of the unacceptable risk of future flooding and loss of life will take a little longer. No decisions on properties or communities will be made without comprehensive consultation and engagement with communities mana whenua and other stakeholders. This is a stressful time for those waiting to hear about the future of their properties. It is important that we make the right decisions here and I want to assure people we're doing all we can to move this process as quickly and effectively as we can.Anna Lorck: How well placed is New Zealand to deal with the consequences of extreme weather events?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The Treasury has estimated the cost of asset damage from the floods and cyclone at between $9 billion and $14.5 billion with half of that related to infrastructure owned by central or local government such as roads and rail. This will require significant planning and sequencing of resources over the months and years ahead. But we are committed to supporting those affected through the recovery and rebuild. New Zealand is in a strong financial position to support our people through these challenging times thanks to our careful management of the Government's books. The Government's debt level sits at 19.1 percent of GDP—well below our debt ceiling and among the lowest in the OECD. We are well placed to deal with the impact of this extreme weather and any other future shocks.Question No. 8 to MinisterSPEAKER: Before I call question No. 4 it's come to my attention that there is a typo in question No. 8. It should refer to correspondence with the Ministry of Education not the Minister of Education. So I've asked the member when we come to question No. 8 that she asks as she submitted and Speaker's ruling 180/1 allows that correction to a typo.