Extraordinary relief work commended by Local Government New Zealand
Local Government New Zealand commends councils on the extraordinary work being done to deal with the aftermath of
flooding in many parts of the country and the ongoing relief efforts of councillors and council staff.
“This is the first time that so many regions have been affected by a single storm, many of these districts have never
experienced damage of this extent to homes, businesses, livestock and agriculture. I would like to acknowledge all of
the hard work and the responsiveness of councils who are working long hours to restore essential services and assist
their communities in these times of need,” says President of Local Government New Zealand Basil Morrison.
“A storm of this strength that has caused so much damage is fortunately a rare occurrence in New Zealand. Councils had
little warning of potential flooding risks or time to put measures in place to avert further damage and have coped
remarkably well under the circumstances,” says Mr Morrison.
Relief work will continue for weeks, even months in some cases, and for many districts the road to recovery will be a
long one. Local Government New Zealand would like to take this opportunity to urge councils to offer any assistance and
support they can to those local councils and communities that have been affected by this disaster. Ends Local Government
New Zealand is the national voice of all 86 councils of New Zealand.