Greens push for business relief

The Green Party is urging government to establish a support plan for businesses in the Bay of Plenty affected by the Rena oil disaster now rather than wait until Christmas.

Prime Minister John Key says a compensation package for businesses affected by the disaster may not be necessary if the problem is resolved by Christmas.

Green MP Gareth Hughes says waiting for Christmas is not fast enough relief for many people struggling with the fallout of the Rena disaster.

'Affected business owners and their employees need certainty of financial support from the government today, not on Christmas Day, to enable them to plan their response to the oil spill effectively,” says Green Party marine spokesperson Gareth Hughes.

'Hoteliers, fishing crews, and marine tourism operators are all being affected financially by the spill right now.

'The rescue package can be similar to what happened in Christchurch where people lost their businesses and income due to a disaster outside of their control.

'The owners and insurers of the Rena need to ultimately pay for the costs of their negligence, but that process could take years to work through, so the government needs to act and give people whose livelihoods and jobs are now on the line certainty about their futures.”

Gareth also expressed concern for those on lower incomes in the Bay of Plenty.

'Many people rely on the food they gather from the ocean to get by in these tough economic times.

'Now that the sea is off-limits for food gathering, these people may be going without.

'Work and Income need to be prepared to accept increased applications for Special Needs Grants and Temporary Additional Support payments.”

Recap on the Canterbury Earthquake financial rescue provisions:

1. Earthquake Support Subsidy: A subsidy for employers who believe they are going to remain in business and want to keep their staff. $500 gross per week or $300 gross per week to cover part time staff for up to six weeks.

2. Earthquake Job Loss Cover: A $400 a week in the hand payment for a period of six weeks paid to fulltime employees, ($240 in the hand for part time employees). This applies to those who are unable to contact their employer or the business has closed permanently.

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2 comments

Peace Out

Posted on 19-10-2011 13:54 | By Kin

Typical cuddly lovey Green response. There is financial support available -it's called dole. Employees should be laid off if needs be. Business owners should tap into their assets to get by. It's a bloody cheek avoiding tax when your're raking it in and then asking the tax payer to fund your flash lifestyle when the shit hits the fan. Lots of people are struggling on low incomes or dole - give it a go for a while all you business people and stop crying like babies and holding your hand out.


Business Support for firms affected by Rena incident

Posted on 19-10-2011 16:48 | By Rosalie Crawford

Did anyone inform Gareth Hughes that stakeholder industries were able to attend a meeting last night to address this situation? And again tomorrow night at Classic Flyers? If he rings 0800 BAYBIZ or goes to the new website www.bizactionBOP.org.nz he should be able to keep up with what's happening. It would appear that he doesn't need to urge the government to establish a support plan for businesses because they're already on the job. The letter we all got a few days ago says it pretty clearly (see below) cheers Rosalie -------------------- The government has announced that it will be considering a package of support for businesses affected by the Rena incident. Tauranga Chamber of Commerce will be working with Tourism Bay of Plenty, and industry representatives to analyse the affected industries and develop a model to more clearly understand the number and scale of people affected. Visitor industry stakeholder meetings will be held on Tuesday 18 and Thursday 20 October at Classic Flyers at 5.00pm get your input, suggestions and feedback. Naturally we need to factor-in further developments in relation to amount of oil spilled and the likely clean up time. Hopefully the scale of the environmental impact will become clearer this week, and we can move quickly in developing a picture of how businesses are being impacted. The next step is provide the government with the industry analysis and let them respond accordingly. For further information please see a new website for the business community to keep up to date with information and resources - www.bizactionBOP.org.nz, or call a helpline for business recovery advice - 0800 BAYBIZ (229 249), or email chamber@tauranga.org.nz Kind regards Gail Elliott | PA/Administrator Priority One | P O Box 13 057 | Tauranga | New Zealand ph 64 7 571 1401 | fax 64 7 571 1402 | web www.priorityone.co.nz


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