Kate Hawkesby: Why isn't there any urgency in distributing the relief funds?

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · May 14, 2023 · 5m

So despite more money being announced yesterday for cyclone recovery, there’s still money floating around that hasn’t even been allocated or spent yet.

Months on from Cyclone Gabrielle, more than 30 million dollars in donations is still unspent. How’s that possible? What is it they’re waiting for? It was reported that, “So far, only 5 million of the 24 million donated to the Red Cross Disaster Fund has been allocated, while none of the 11.7 million raised in a March Lotto draw has been dispersed… as 79 cents of every donated dollar remains unspent, earning interest of 150 thousand dollars…