Cyclone Gabrielle response and recovery
Community Foundations can play a central role in communities at times of disaster. Initially, they can help with disaster-response and they step in to help the community recover for the long-term.
It’s hard to give away donations well in an emergency situation, to know that your thoughtful gesture of care is going to the right place and will really make a difference.
Effective funding is what Community Foundations do. They have deep roots into communities, they have the knowledge and expertise to respond. They are on the ground and nimble, able to get funding to where it is needed. They operate a low-cost structure which sees maximum funds going into communities, distributing to those on the ground doing the crucial work.
The impact of cyclone Gabrielle on affected individuals and communities will be profound, long lasting and life changing. Therefore, recovery is a long-term, multilayered social and developmental process that is more than simply the replacement of what has been destroyed. Local Community Foundations will remain responsive at each stage of recovery.
For now, can you help?
You can donate at the following links (remember all donations are tax deductible - New Zealand based donations can claim 33.3% tax back from your donation):
Donate to Community Foundation cyclone response funds:
- Northland-Te Tai Tokerau - Northland Community Foundation emergency response fund
- Auckland-Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland Foundation - Auckland Together Fund
- Gisborne-Tairāwhiti- support the Mayoral relief fund working in partnership with The Sunrise Foundation:
Account Name: Gisborne District Council, 03-0638-0502288-00
(for overseas payments - SWIFT code: WPACNZ2W, Reference: Disaster Relief Trust). - Hawke’s Bay-Te Matau a Māui - Hawke’s Bay Foundation Cyclone Relief Fund
Donate for long-term recovery and resilience:
- Northland-Te Tai Tokerau- Northland Community Foundation - https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/donate/
- Auckland-Tāmaki Makaurau- Auckland Foundation - https://www.aucklandfoundation.org.nz/our-funds
- Gisborne-Tairāwhiti - The Sunrise Foundation General Fund https://www.sunrisefoundation.org.nz/payment-methods/
- Hawke's Bay-Te Matau a Māui - Hawke's Bay Foundation General Fund - https://www.hawkesbayfoundation.org.nz/our-funds/
It is heartening to see the aroha and outpouring of care from across the country and internationally.
Ngā mihi nui, thank you for your generosity.
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2023
Recent Posts
Creating conditions for generosity to thrive
15 Jun 2026
The world is about to experience an extraordinary event: the largest transfer of wealth in its history. This paper looks at how five peer nations have acted, with settings in place to encourage giving and philanthropy, and how New Zealand stacks up. The short answer is, not well...
Read moreWhat the data tells us about volunteering and why it matters
10 Jun 2026
Every year, National Volunteer Week gives us a moment to pause and say thank you. But this year, we have something more to offer than gratitude. We have data. And what that data is telling us about volunteering in Aotearoa is more interesting, more nuanced, and in some ways more surprising than we expected.
Read moreCapping generosity is a signal New Zealand cannot afford to send
03 Jun 2026
The donation tax credit has never just been a tax concession. It's a public-private partnership - the government contributing a third, the donor two-thirds, working together to fund the things that make this country worth living in. There is something genuinely cohesive about that, and alongside financial capital, it builds social capital and trust...
Read more