About the Trust

The Trustees are responsible for the allocation of the money raised by the Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal.

The Trust is an independent charity, registered under the Charities Act of New Zealand. The Trust's charity registration number is CC61006. The Trust is governed and operated by three Trustees who are volunteers.

The cost of running the Trust is being met by the government so that all donated funds are used for cyclone response activity. The Trust is administered by a small Secretariat within the Department of Internal Affairs.

The Trust Deed anticipates that the Trust's legal lifetime will be ten years. All funding decisions made by the Trustees will be published on this website. In addition, the Trust is required to file an annual return with the Charities Services, detailing its financial statements. This is publicly available.

The Trustees want Trust funds to support cyclone impacted communities, iwi, hapū, and marae to connect in a way that works for them. The Trustees used the following Framework to guide their grant decisions for the $14 million funding round held between March and May 2024.

Outcome – Connected community, iwi, hapῡ and marae

Funding objective

Support cyclone impacted communities to recover.

Funding priority

Small scale projects with a tangible benefit able to be quickly delivered.

Funding criteria

• the project is located in an impacted region or district
• the project is community, iwi, hapū and/or marae led
• the project is ready to action as soon as funding is received
• proof that the project has been completed is easily provided
• the project is not a grant to individuals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes Trust grant decisions?

The Trustees, Sir Selwyn Parata, Barbara Arnott QSO and Paul James. 

The Trust funds must be used to provide relief to the communities, iwi, hapū and marae of all districts or regions in which a state of emergency was declared for the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle (Cyclone) or other extreme weather events in January and February 2023 from the adverse effects of the Cyclone or other extreme weather event. These are Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Coast and Hawkes Bay regions and the Tararua district.

Early on, the Trustees agreed that grants are likely to fund smaller community projects, and will not be hardship grants to individuals or grants for larger recovery and hard infrastructure projects.

What the Trustees have heard?

• There are many diverse groups who would benefit from funding – there are lots of different local needs and ways to support communities to reconnect and recover.
• There is a real desire for communities to be empowered to prepare for future disasters. Things like satellite phones, generators, and containers for storing supplies would all help communities feel safer and better able to cope.
• That small things can make a big difference and are often hard to fund from the usual community funding sources. For example, repairs to things like children’s playgrounds, and other places that communities use to come together.  

Why did it take the Trustees so long to release the funds to affected communities?

The Trustees learned from the upper Marlborough and Canterbury earthquakes that the needs of communities take time to be apparent and having funding available for those needs, when identified, is necessary.

The Trustees specific focus is projects that connect communities and help them recover. These projects take time for communities to scope. Because projects must be community led it is critical the community has a chance to fully engage and participate in developing a project proposal and managing its completion.

Why couldn't individuals apply?

The Trust Deed directs the Trustees to use the Trust funds for relief to the communities, iwi, hapū and marae of Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Coast and Hawkes Bay regions and the Tararua district impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle and other January and February 2023 extreme weather events.