Residents wishing to donate to flood and cyclone affected areas in the North Island can deposit into the Council’s official Westpac bank account (03-1592-0521970-04) that was originally set up by Council for the Auckland flood event in January.

People can use the reference area of the bank transfer to direct which area that they want the funds to go, and Council will distribute the funds to the official relief fund of the area once they are set up.

“Financial donations are the most useful way to support our North Island friends”, said Mayor Neil Brown, “official channels of donation are the safest option of knowing your donation will go to the right place, and we encourage you to only donate what you can afford to give”.

Council staff have been receiving calls from Ashburton District residents who want to volunteer or donate food, blankets, or other donated goods, but for many affected areas, people on the ground are still working out what needs to happen.

Once there is more information about what’s going on, larger organisations like New Zealand Red Cross and the Salvation Army will be organising clean up support and other measures.

People can contact the relevant groups to see if or when registrations or donations are ready to be received.

While there are still various States of Emergency in place, the full support of the National Emergency Management Agency and all of Government is getting in behind these affected regions.

“It’s okay too if you can’t donate right now. People who have been hard-hit will be looked after with essentials, but as time goes on sometimes people feel like they’ve been forgotten once the immediate response has passed, so support after some time can make a real difference to those people,” Mayor Brown said.

‍Being unable to contact loved ones due to communication and power outages in areas affected by Cyclone Gabrielle is also a major issue and worrying a lot of people.

“If you’ve tried all usual methods of communication first, whether that’s a phone number, email, social media or a pre-planned emergency meeting place and still have genuine concerns for a person’s safety the Police have the 105 online form.”

A message from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is to check in with yourself and others about how you might be feeling with the recent events across the motu/country.

“People may be feeling anxious, helpless, stressed, or relieved; all these emotions are completely normal and understandable. If you’re struggling to cope, know that you’re not alone, and free support is available”.

Mental Health support helplines https://mentalhealth.org.nz/helplines

If you have genuine concerns for a person’s safety, use the Police 105 form https://forms.police.govt.nz/person-inquired-for