The Government's Temporary Accommodation Service, TAS, is being activated to support those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Temporary accommodation is available to people in Northland, Gisborne, Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, Waikato and Tararua District.

'TAS is now accepting registrations from those who cannot return to their homes and need assistance finding temporary accommodation in regions affected outside of Auckland,” says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods.

'Working closely with local authorities, TAS have been assessing the damage in affected regions, and establishing how many homes have been affected, and what the longer-term need may be. Initial estimates show between 1200 and 1800 households in Auckland alone may need temporary accommodation.

'The TAS team will work with everyone who cannot return to their homes due to Cyclone Gabrielle to find available accommodation. I urge anyone who needs their help to register their details by applying online at www.tas.mbie.govt.nz or by calling 0508 754 163.

'The severity and close timing of these weather events means that TAS is having to stand-up its largest and fastest responses to date.

'TAS has been scaling up, preparing and planning to meet this response but with a natural disaster of this magnitude affecting so many households and so much infrastructure, this may take time. Options for accommodation include hotels, motels, motor lodges, and portable accommodation, as happened following the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes, the West Coast flooding in July 2021 and Nelson/Marlborough floods of August last year .

'As people begin to register with the service, TAS will work with households to understand their specific needs and find temporary accommodation options that suit. Our first priority is to find warm, dry and secure accommodation for people.

'TAS continues to support Aucklanders following the recent flooding event and Cyclone Gabrielle,” says Woods.

TAS is just one government service that people can access for help following natural disasters.

'I would also urge tenants and landlords of rental properties to visit www.tenancy.govt.nz to familiarise themselves with their tenancy rights and obligations following an event like this,” says Minister Woods.  

'The Government recently launched the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service, a free service that provides residential homeowners with advice, case management support where appropriate and access to legal, technical and wellbeing services to help them achieve timely, fair and enduring resolution of their residential insurance claims resulting from natural disasters.

"You can contact NZCRS on 0508 624 327, email contact@nzcrs.govt.nz or visit www.nzcrs.govt.nz.

'This is a significant event for New Zealand, and there are many people who are profoundly affected by it with the loss of their homes or severe damage. TAS will work as quickly as it can to find appropriate accommodation for those who need it as a result of these weather events,” says Woods.