Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund ‘a blessing’ for storm victims
Published on 09 April 2026
Joseph Potae couldn’t believe it when floodwaters carved out the banks beneath the only bridge offering access to and from his Kennedy Bay home.
The 21 January storm event had not just isolated Joseph and his whanau, it tore away fencing that contained his cows, ripped up his decking and driveway and blanketed the rural property in mud and debris.
The storm caused widespread flooding, slips and evacuations throughout the Thames-Coromandel district, prompting a state of emergency.
Six adults and eight children live at Joseph’s rural property. While there is a ford that can be used by smaller vehicles instead of the bridge, clogged floodwaters made it impassable for at least two days.
Uninsured and isolated, Joseph and his whānau were facing clean-up bills leading into the thousands. Then, he heard about the Thames-Coromandel District Council Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund. Just over $400,000 was raised to help local people worst affected by the storm.
Unlike money previously made available by the Government to support business recovery following Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, this fund specifically aimed at helping people worst affected by the January storm.
Joseph applied for funding to help replace the fencing and damaged decking, secure gabion baskets to reinforce creek banks, and hire an excavator for clean-up. He was successful.
“Without it we would have been stuck with just shovels trying to clear everything. It really was a blessing,” Joseph says.
“It was a pretty rough flood, that one. Pretty deep too.”
Joseph was among 244 applicants assessed by an independent panel before money was distributed.
“We are so thankful,” Joseph says.
“I just want to say on behalf of all of us, without it, it would’ve been a struggle. Thank you to everyone who donated.”
Pensioner Barry Wrigg shares the same sentiment.
When Barry saw water seeping through the lower section of his Whitianga property during the storm, he called the fire brigade right away.
Having already experienced a flood years ago, the pensioner rolled up what carpet he could, but the flooding had destroyed the underlay. The money received from the Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund covered the costs of uplifting the carpet, replacing the underlay and drying and relaying the carpet.
“It [the funding] was critical. It would have been a struggle for me, as a pensioner, to try to pay that myself.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the fund and I’d like to thank the people and companies who donated to it.”
The Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund was made up from donations and contributions from the National Emergency Management Agency, generous individuals and local businesses including IAG, Momentum Waikato, Suncorp, Te Rourou One Aotearoa Foundation, QBE Insurance and Woolworths NZ.
Thames-Coromandel Mayor Peter Revell says this fund has been invaluable to local people needing it most and reflects not just the generosity of our communities but their resilience also.
“I’m incredibly impressed with how our communities come together to help in hard times. Recovery is a long and challenging journey but seeing how this money is helping those in immediate need helps us in our goal to rebuild and restore.”
Applications to the Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund were assessed independently by a Governance Group against clear criteria, including who was applying (such as individuals, families, community groups, or businesses), the type of impact experienced, and how serious and long‑lasting that impact was. Priority was given to people and whānau facing damage to property and genuine hardship affecting safety, basic needs, or the habitability of home. All applications were assessed, and because the fund was limited, grants were based strictly on level of need, impact, severity and duration. Unfortunately, this meant not every application could be supported.
Applications for the fund closed on 6 March.