The Buddhist Compassion Relief Foundation — Tzu Chi — are generously donating gift cards to each household from red/yellow stickered properties.

The Tzu Chi Foundation representatives are in town Friday, and the cards are being handed out to recipients at the Edgecumbe College between the hours of 10 and 11:30 am and 2 – 2:30 pm. Recipients will be personally given the gift cards (worth $700) by the Tzu Chi representatives.

Each of the red/yellow stickered households have been rung directly and affected parties personally invited to the gifting ceremony.

If the occupier (or a representative) was not able to personally attend the gifting, then alternative arrangements may be made (although at this stage the representatives from Tzu Chi have not determined how this will be done). If there are several tenants, the card will be given to the name on the tenancy agreement — not one card for each tenant.

People will have to have proof of ID (which will be checked against the properties' details) before they are given a card.

Please note: this is not a Council-led initiative, although the Council are assisting Tzu Chi in their mission.

Further information

My house was flooded – why can’t I have a card?

The Buddhist Compassion Relief Foundation — Tzu Chi — had a limited number of cards and determined that the fairest way to distribute them was to the people who cannot live in their homes and/or will be displaced for the longest time. These are red and yellow stickered properties.

My property hasn’t even been assessed yet — does this mean I miss out on a card?

If your property was inundated and hasn’t been seen yet, and it ends up being yellow or red stickered, then you will be eligible for a card when the Foundation visits again. Tzu Chi knows that not all people have yet been assessed and so have agreed to hold some cards back for future gifting.

Why is the Council deciding who should get donations?

The Council is not deciding — the Buddhist Compassion Relief Foundation has made this decision themselves. The Council has been required to support the Foundation with contacting people because the contact information for these households is private and cannot be shared with external agencies.  

We were phoned (and are red or yellow stickered) but no one from my family/whānau can attend the gifting today — will we miss out on the card?

No — just give us your contact name, phone and property number and we will get back to you.