Local Waikato farmers are continuing to feel the impact of last year’s drought as claims of over $800,000 were made in the Thames area alone for a one-off grant.
The 2019/2020 summer season was considered one of the worst droughts in New Zealand history.
While the Mayoral Drought Relief fund has been used to make the grass a little greener for local farmers, the $265,000 grant could not reach all farmers in need.
Hauraki District mayor, Toby Adams, says the number of people made an application shows how bad the drought was.
“We had to prioritise the available funding of $265,000 to those most in need, according to the information provided on the application forms and the criteria provided by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) who put up most of the funding,” Adams said.
MPI responded to a plea for help from local mayors back in May.
“The effects of the drought were bubbling away in the shadow of Covid-19 and hitting our farmers really hard in the pocket.
“We’re very grateful to MPI and to the Mayoral Advisory Fund Committee for generously giving up their time to ensure the fund was distributed as equitably as possible,” Adam said.
