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National | Chris Hipkins

Government to 'play its part' in rebuilding cyclone-affected regions - PM

The price of rebuilding regions devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle is still unclear but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says the government will “play its part” in it.

Talking to teaomāori.news today, he said the rebuild is expected to bring more debt, much as the Christchurch earthquake and the Covid pandemic did. But Hipkins says there are others that will also play a part in the rebuild.

“It’s important to remember that it’s not just the government that contributes to this as well. If you look at the post-Christchurch earthquake. the government had to really chip in there but a lot of money came from insurance settlements, businesses and industry and individual households.

“We will get through this and the government will play its part.”

On top of this, inflation and the rising costs of living will no doubt be a challenge too.

“If you’re looking at the areas where we’re experiencing the biggest increase in costs, it’s building, construction materials and food. These things will be affected by the recent events, so we’ve seen a lot of our food supply potentially damaged.

“It has potential to have an impact on inflation and the rising costs that we pay when we go to the supermarket.”

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