Marlborough Mayor John Leggett today established a Mayoral Relief Fund to assist the region in its recovery effort following the recent weather event.

In announcing the fund, Mayor Leggett thanked Emergency Management Minister, Hon Kieran McAnulty for the central government contribution to the fund and for taking the time to visit Marlborough today to see the extent of the flood damage to our communities.

People wishing to donate to this fund can do so online via online banking. Simply add the Marlborough District Council’s account number: 02-0600-0202861-00 and include ‘Mayoral Fund’ as a reference.

Alternatively, people can make payments to the fund at Council reception in Blenheim.

Mayor Leggett said the event has been significant and the recovery ahead will be another long journey.

“It is a bitter pill to swallow but we must accept it and get on with the job at hand, and we are. Many of our local roads, in particular the Marlborough Sounds, will likely be inaccessible or affected for some time to come. Rest assured we will be doing all we can to get our communities connected again as quickly as possible, but it is going to take time,” Mayor Leggett said.

“We will continue our work with the emergency team and the many Marlborough-based agencies, organisations and iwi over the coming days, weeks and months ahead, to get our region back up and running as soon as possible,” he said.

The fund will be primarily available to Marlborough District Council area residents who have suffered personal financial or emotional hardship because of the August 2022 Marlborough rain event.

Please contact Community Partnerships Advisor Jodie Griffiths on Jodie.Griffiths@marlborough.govt.nz or Community Partnerships Project Support Natalie Lawler on Natalie.Lawler@marlborough.govt.nz for further information.

Detailed information on criteria and eligibility will be provided in due course.

© Scoop Media