The legislation removes any "unnecessary red tape", Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty says. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The government is looking to remove unnecessary red tape that could prevent a streamlined recovery and rebuild following Cyclone Gabrielle.
It has introduced new legislation, the Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill, to do this.
The bill would modify existing legislation in order to remove constraints on recovery similar to legislation passed after Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes.
Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty said the recovery phase needed to be timely and efficient.
"The urgent changes will help facilitate the initial stages of the recovery and provide legal certainty where needed.
"The legislation also removes unnecessary red tape. For example extending the period for a food business to renew its registration will mean that it can continue operating post the cyclone without impractical administrative deadlines to contend with."
It was important communities were enabled to recover as quickly as possible after extreme weather events, he said.
Minister for Cyclone Recovery Grant Robertson said New Zealand was only just at the start of the recovery process.
"While we have already provided significant resources through the response - affected regions should rest assured that the government will continue to work closely with them as the rebuild and recovery begins in earnest," he said.
The state of national emergency for Te Tai Rāwhiti and Hawke's Bay regions ends today, four weeks after being declared.