Kate Hawkesby: Why isn't there any urgency in distributing the relief funds?

So despite more money being announced yesterday for cyclone recovery, there’s still money floating around that hasn’t even been allocated or spent yet.

Months on from Cyclone Gabrielle, more than 30 million dollars in donations is still unspent. How’s that possible? What is it they’re waiting for? It was reported that, “So far, only 5 million of the 24 million donated to the Red Cross Disaster Fund has been allocated, while none of the 11.7 million raised in a March Lotto draw has been dispersed… as 79 cents of every donated dollar remains unspent, earning interest of 150 thousand dollars, the Red Cross is defending the time taken, saying it's allowed for crucial planning and trials.”

The Red Cross has been worried about ‘distributing the money too quickly’ apparently. Well no danger of that.

“So far the Red Cross has received 140 applications for grants of which it’s approved 32,” it was reported. 32. Out of 140. Why is it taking so long when these people are desperate and have been for months? When it would appear abundantly clear where the money needs to go?

New Zealanders are incredibly generous and always very quick to dig deep for those in strife. People deeply affected by post cyclone scenes, threw money at the cause rapidly, and in huge amounts.

This country is phenomenal at fundraising and the generosity was abundant. So to then hear that months later, a chunk of it is still just sitting there unspent, accruing interest in a Red Cross account, is disappointing to say the least.

We regularly hear from people in the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions, who say that they’ve not seen a volunteer or had any support. People who’ve been tearing their hair out over the lack of action.

And I feel for them. It’s the one thing they feared most – that they’d be forgotten about.

But it doesn’t sit well with us when we see that money’s been raised, yet it’s being held onto for ‘crucial planning and trials’ as the Red Cross says. What does that even mean? What trials? Why is the Red Cross not just getting it done?

It was reported re the silt for example, that Red Cross has ‘copped criticism for not helping in the cleanup’.. but that they say it’s ‘not that straightforward’.

Isn’t it?

Red Cross says they’re ‘enabling people to clean up rather than paying for the trucks and the diggers that are actually lifting the silt..’ They say they’re ‘supporting the families and the communities through either helping to clean out their homes to make them liveable … or providing the equipment and protective gear that helps them do the cleanup themselves.’

Well that’s all well and good if that actually works and is working, but many of these families we hear from are absolutely exhausted with trying to clean up for themselves, they have jobs and families and livelihoods to try to look after too.

So it’s a harrowing time for them – and continues to be. I just think for a charitable organisation in the business of providing aid and help – and in raising so much money so quickly from extremely generous New Zealanders, it really behoves them to distribute it efficiently and quickly.

And it’s not just Red Cross, it’s government money and Lotto money being held up too, by too much bureaucracy and red tape. This is a hugely productive part of our economy, left floundering, so I just don’t know why there isn’t more urgency in getting the money out to people, to get them back on their feet.

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