On-farm Readiness and Recovery Plan for adverse climatic events and natural disasters
This leaflet explains individual and rural community responsibilities for responding to adverse climatic events and natural disasters that affect farm business viability (agriculture, horticulture and forestry). It also outlines central government assistance measures that may be available in small, medium and large-scale adverse events.
It is important that individuals, communities and businesses plan and prepare for adverse events. One of the best ways to speed recovery and build your business and family’s resilience is to think ahead and be prepared.
“Having no plan is a plan to do nothing.”
What is the responsibility of individuals?
Consider the risks you face from adverse climatic events and natural disasters.
Develop strategies to protect your family, business and community from those risks. These might include:
- setting aside reserves of money, food and livestock feed;
- owning a generator;
- keeping insurance up to date;
- locating buildings and planting crops away from areas of high risk;
- planting trees on highly erodible land;
- keeping stock in good health; and
- considering the climatic risks when purchasing land.
What is the responsibility of rural communities?
Community members need to work together to manage local and regional adverse events.
A community may be a small group of farmers living in an isolated valley, or all of the people occupying a district or a region. Depending on the risks and potential consequences, key organisations involved may be local Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups, or special interest groups such as Rural Women, Rural Support Trusts, Federated Farmers, Forest Owners’ Association, Farm Forestry Association, Horticulture New Zealand and Landcare groups.
It is important the community establishes links with preferred organisations, identifies leaders to represent its interests, and is prepared to manage local events itself before, during and following adverse events. This involves:
- having local response plans;
- training people who can put plans into action;
- knowing how to apply for government support; and
- being aware of the conditions that have to be met to qualify for that support.
From July 2007 there will be a government programme to assist in developing response capability. For information on this, contact your local MAF Policy office.
Government assistance
Small-scale events
Every year there are localised adverse climatic events that affect a relatively small number of farms. Communities should first organise a local response with local government. However, people severely affected may qualify for the following central government recovery measures:
Tax relief: the Adverse Event Income Equalisation Scheme enables farmers to delay tax liability after the forced sale of livestock. Inland Revenue may also accept late provisional tax filing and payment on a case-by-case basis. For more information contact your accountant or Inland Revenue.
Labour assistance: Task Force Green (TFG) is available if properties have suffered damage from an adverse climatic event. TFG is a wage subsidy programme for specific projects that are of benefit to the community or environment. For more information contact your local Work and Income office.
Financial assistance: Work and Income may provide financial assistance to farm employees and owners to ensure immediate and essential welfare needs are met. Examples are: Special Needs Grants for food and Emergency Benefits for employees whose work is not available for a short period (an income and asset test applies to both). Work and Income can also provide counselling services. For more information contact your local Work and Income office.
Medium-scale events
Occasionally there are adverse events that impact on farms and farming families on a district/multi-district scale. Communities and regional organisations are expected to organise local responses. In a medium-scale event central government may provide assistance as outlined above, plus additional measures including:
Rural Assistance Payments: Work and Income may provide payments set at 100% of the unemployment benefit to assist with essential living expenses (an income and asset test applies). Payments are approved by the Minister of Social Development following specific events.
Rural Assistance Payment brochure [PDF 88KB]
New Start Grants: a one-off grant for families to permanently leave commercial farming when there is no adequate financial viability as a result of an adverse event. Strict criteria apply to these grants. For more information contact your local MAF Policy office.
Technical assistance/technology transfer: grants may be provided for education workshops, meetings and brochures to provide technical and financial advice on options for dealing with adverse events. Costs of media communications to disseminate key information for broadcast may also be met. The need for this assistance is usually decided between industry representatives and MAF Policy.
Agricultural Recovery Facilitator: central government may appoint a short-term facilitator to coordinate the initial stages of some recovery operations. The aim is to restore the community’s capacity to cope, and the facilitator’s role is to provide short-term support to local initiatives, not to replace them. Local leadership continues after the work of the government-appointed facilitator has ended.
Mentoring/advice: financial negotiation and counselling/mentoring services from Rural Support Trusts are available to families and individuals who need to talk with an independent person experienced in farm, forestry or orchard management. The Trusts are a local community initiative that offer a free service in most regions, regardless of whether an adverse event has occurred. Central government may provide grants to Trusts following a medium-scale adverse event. Requests for grants can be made to your local MAF Policy office.
Labour assistance: Enhanced Task Force Green (ETFG) may be available following a medium-scale event where damage has been sustained and the community does not have the capacity to carry out clean up operations. ETFG is funded by Work and Income, and organised in partnership with local councils and communities. For more information about ETFG, contact your local Work and Income office, council, or local MAF Policy office.
Volunteer costs: in some recovery operations, the travel and accommodation costs for volunteers from outside the region are met. For more information, contact your local MAF Policy office.
Large-scale events
When rare climatic or natural disasters occur on a scale that will seriously impact on the regional and/or national economy, central government may provide additional support to local community and regional organisations.
Special recovery measure
A special recovery measure may be made available at the discretion of central government.
Applications for consideration of a special recovery measure can be made by community representatives to their local MAF Policy office.
A special recovery measure would reimburse a share of the costs for:
- restoration of uninsurable on-farm infrastructure;
- re-establishment of uninsurable pasture, crops and forestry (excluding slips); and
- initial clean up of silt and debris (where uninsurable).
Reimbursement would be at a rate of 50%, with an excess of $10,000 or 10% of damage costs (whichever is greater). Assistance would be capped at a maximum of $250,000 per farm business.
Other assistance
Aerial reconnaissance: an aerial inspection to help decide if central government assistance is required may be funded by MAF after consultation with industry representatives and other key public services.
Humane livestock disposal: animal welfare and the humane disposal of livestock is the primary responsibility of the animal owner. However, in a large-scale event, when communities are unable to cope, assistance for the humane disposal of livestock can be sought initially through MAF.
Requesting government assistance
To request central government support, first contact your local authorities and/or industry representatives such as Federated Farmers, Horticulture NZ, Forest Owners’ Association or Farm Forestry Association.
Local authorities and representative industry groups can then contact their local MAF Policy office to:
- advise on the severity of the event;
- confirm that a local response has occurred;
- specify the type of assistance needed; and
- confirm that the event is beyond the community’s capacity to cope.
Requests for support from the Defence Force should be made through the CDEM Group to the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.
Restoration of essential community services
Local government is responsible for restoring community services such as roading, water supplies and flood protection. Central government is responsible for state highway restoration through Transit NZ, and may also provide assistance to local government. Telecommunication and line companies are responsible for restoring phone and power supplies. For more information, contact your local or regional authority or utility provider.
How government assistance is triggered
The matrix of government response is used as a guide by the Government for determining which recovery measures may be made available. Each event is assessed using five criteria, classifying the event depending on where the majority of the criteria sit within each column below.
| SCALE OF THE ADVERSE EVENT | SMALL SCALE The majority of the criteria sit within this column |
MEDIUM SCALE The majority of the criteria sit within this column |
LARGE SCALE The majority of the criteria sit within this column |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Themes | Criteria | Assessment/classification of the event | ||
| Risk management options | Availability of options | Readily available | Moderately available | No practical options available |
| Magnitude of event | Likelihood of the event | Frequent | Infrequent | Rare |
| Scale of physical impact | Local level | District level/ multi-district level |
Regional/ national level | |
| Capacity of community to cope | Degree of economic impact | Local level | District level/ multi-district level |
Regional/ national level |
| Degree of social impact | Local level | District level/ multi-district level |
Regional/ national level | |
| Examples | 2006 Whangaehu Valley flood 2005 Gisborne flood |
2006 Canterbury snow 2004 Eastern Bay of Plenty flood |
2004 Lower North Island floods 1988 Cyclone Bola |
|
| Possible government assistance | Small-scale event recovery measures | Small-scale event recovery measures + Medium-scale event recovery measures |
Small-scale event recovery measures + Medium-scale event recovery measures + Special recovery measure |
|
If in doubt, contact MAF Policy
Contact your local MAF Policy office to find out more about:
- qualifying for assistance;
- how to plan for agricultural emergencies;
- how government can assist in building local capability; and
- how to request government support.
If human life is in danger, a Civil Defence Emergency will be declared by the local CDEM group, which will coordinate assistance.
MAF Policy offices
| Location | Telephone | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 07 957 8314 | 029 957 8313 |
| Rotorua | 07 921 3400 | 029 921 3407 |
| Hastings | 06 974 8814 | 029 974 8811 |
| Wellington | 04 894 0100 | 029 894 0691 |
| Nelson | 03 543 9182 | 029 943 1025 |
| Christchurch | 03 943 1703 | 029 943 1706 |
| Dunedin | 03 951 4700 | 029 951 4716 |
| Govt agency | Telephone |
|---|---|
| Inland Revenue | 0800 473 566 |
| Work and Income | 0800 559 009 |
Contact for Enquiries
Manager
North Island Regions
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Hamilton
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 7 957 8313
Contact this person
