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Regional | Business

Edgecumbe businesses welcome news of extra government funding

Edgecumbe businesses have welcomed the news that an extra $700,000 will be made available to them by the government.  While some businesses have re-opened their doors in the township others have had to relocate.

Riverslea Mall in Edgecumbe was the business hub before the floods and locals intend to keep it that way.

Roselynn Waldman (Op Shop) says, “We are here to clean up what's left and we will get up and running again.”

The government has set aside funding for emergency accommodation and an extra $700,000 relief package for businesses in Edgecumbe.  There are 134 businesses that operate from Edgecumbe and the extra funding is being welcomed by the business community.

Irene Clake (Op Shop) says, “I think it's very necessary, there is a lot of needy people here and they need every penny that they can get.”

Megan Aldridge (Edgecumbe Pharmacy) says, “It's actually the first time I have heard anything official, as I said we have just been working so hard our lines of communication have been completely shut down. I haven't had the chance to find out any information and when we have had a chance to phone in and try and get some information we’ve found our phone calls haven't been returned.”

While some businesses in Edgecumbe have their doors open many are still trying to get there.  In the near-by community of Te Teko It's almost been two weeks since they opened this interim health centre and pharmacy for Edgecumbe residents.

Aldridge says, “Normally it takes months of preparations to relocate or set up a pharmacy, we did it in two days, and on top of that we did it in two days when we were working so hard to dispense a whole town full of medications, so I honestly don't know how we did it.”

While the clean-up within the township is still in full swing normality is returning to parts of Edgecumbe.