In March 2023 the hospitality industry and our dining public came together to raise money for those affected by the 2023 weather events. As a result, through the Cooking up a Storm cyclone fundraising event, organised by the Restaurant Association, over $370,000 was raised to help people and hospitality business owners who have been severely impacted by the Cyclone and weather events earlier this year.
A portion of the funds raised have been forwarded to affected regions to be accessed through their Mayoral funds. In total $240,500 was distributed to the mayoral funds – $48,100 was distributed to each of the following regions:
- Gisborne
- Hawke’s Bay
- Coromandel
- Auckland
- Northland (3 funds)
The remaining $129,500 was made available through the Cooking up a Storm grants to directly assist hospitality businesses. The funds available through the Cooking up a Storm grants were limited and distributed on a first come, first served basis, via an application process. All applications were reviewed by an independent approval committee.
The grants available are intended as a helping hand to help businesses get back on your feet faster.
Who could apply?
This Cooking up a Storm grant was available to assist affected hospitality businesses.
Other eligibility criteria can be viewed here.
List of recipients of a Cooking up a Storm grant:
The community who came together to make this event happen:
About Cooking up a Storm
Hospitality businesses across the country came together on 20 March to host New Zealand’s biggest dinner party support of those impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle. Masterminded by Al Brown and supported by the Restaurant Association, the ‘cooking up a storm’ event saw participating restaurants serve a two course menu for a set price of $69.