Some Hawke's Bay residents are feeling frustrated by the length of time it's taking to receive some of the donated money from charities; some say they've been left alone for months.
Red Cross has committed to paying all donated money out as they work closely with local leaders; they say they are also investing over a million dollars to the cause and say there is a lot of misinformation going around.
Cyclone Gabrielle's devastation prompted an outpouring of financial support.
$18 million was donated to the Red Cross's New Zealand disaster fund.
Secretary-General of the Red Cross Sarah Stuart-Black said they had received an amazing amount of support.
“We've seen an amazing generosity of New Zealanders contributing to the fund, and we know that the affected are doing it tough right now, so the importance of getting this money out to those affected is critically important,” Stuart-Black said.
“We have been working really hard with local leaders to be able to understand where the need is greatest so we can pay that money out.”
But some residents in hard-hit areas like Eskdale say they are frustrated and feel it's taking too long to see the donated money.
Bay View resident Louise Parsons said the past two months have felt like a horror story.
“'Where is the money?', that's what everyone is saying. There are millions and millions of dollars, and nobody has had it,” she said.
“Give it to the people directly, and they can decide what they need because some people want to buy clothes, some want to pay contractors to get stuff done, some people need fencing done, there's a lot of stuff, and it is time to get that money to them.”
With just two million of the $18 million spent so far, the Red Cross said they're committed to paying all donated money out.
“The majority of the money we hope to have paid out six months since the cyclone and severe weather,” Stuart-Black said.
“We're seeing an increase of misinformation, particularly on social media, and it really risks eroding the trust in NZ Red Cross, so we are wanting to tackle some of that misinformation to be able to clarify to New Zealanders that their contributions are going to those who need it the most.
“All of the money contributed to the fund goes to the purposes of the fund. There are no cuts for administration being taken, and NZ Red Cross is going to be investing over a million dollars in administering the fund, and that means everything going into it goes to the communities that need it the most."
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