An announcement about hardship grants to private sector workers who are not being paid after the Canterbury earthquake will be made this afternoon, Prime Minister John Key said today. discount ugg boots Officials had been in discussion with counterparts in Victoria, who had dealt with a similar situation after the bushfires. "We think we've got a way through that problem. Obviously it would a temporary payment that would be made to people." Finance Minister Bill English had been talking with banks and the IRD about how to make life easier for businesses in Canterbury, he said. "The last thing we want is IRD starting to chase down the door for a GST payment or some other sort of provisional tax payment in the very near future, when these companies are obviously struggling under the aftermath of the earthquake. There can and will be flexibility there." ugg boots on sale Local body elections in Canterbury will still go ahead, he said. "I'd be reluctant not to have them. We want to get Christchurch and Canterbury region back on its feet." Mr Key said he felt safe heading to Christchurch this afternoon for a meeting with mayors, despite the city being rocked by a series of strong aftershocks. "There's a job to be done." Labour leader Phil Goff will fly down and attend the meeting with him, then tour welfare centres, he said. winter boots Mr Key agreed the rebuild would take years. However, the Government is looking to speed up the building consents process, he said. "We are trying to work through some very immediate issues. I think there is some good work we can do there but we are going to have to break down some walls that would operate between private insurance companies, ECQ and councils that give those consents. ugg australia boots "I would have thought for some of the smaller jobs, for instance, it might be quite possible that we can allow approved builders to go and complete that work and retrospectively get the consents." He said his main concern was the people of Christchurch rather than the economic cost. There would be a short term cost to economy but a boost from the rebuild, he said. UGG Boots outlet "At the end of the day we just deal with the deck of cards we are dealt. "My thoughts are much more with the people of Christchurch and what they have to deal with rather than the economic cost. In the end we are a strong country and we'll get through it. "I think at the worst of times you see the very best of New Zealand. And we've seen the very best of New Zealand on display as family and friends get out there and help out their loved ones." UGG Boots uk He said the Government will have to offer services for support and counselling "for quite a long period of time." Ad Feedback "One of the big issue we need to face here is the impact on people. People are very fearful about what will come next. Given the number of aftershocks we've had now - well over 100 - I can understand the trauma people are feeling." ENGLISH: BANKS WILLING TO BE FLEXIBLE UGG Boots sale Mr English told reporters he was impressed with the willingness of banks to be flexible with people affected by the quake. "They indicated they understand their customers are under pressure, they do seem to be wiling to be a bit accommodating. I think that's going to be tested and down the tracks the banks of course will be quite involved in the insurance process in dealing with housing. And so they're going to be a pretty critical part of the speed at which claims can be dealt with." Some banks had already announced mortgage payment holidays, though homeowners would still have to pay accrued interest. But he was hoping banks would also be flexible about overdraft limits. "You have people showing up to businesses with nothing to sell even though they've got to pay wages and people whose work suddenly stops." But there would also be some "prickly" issues to be dealt with down the track including over the "long term value of houses, where they can be built and can't be built and so on" cheap ugg Mr English said he had also spoken to Inland Revenue and would be having further talks with them about showing "some flexibility about terms of payment". The cost of the earthquake is set to run into the billions but Mr English indicated that there was still some uncertainty about how that would impact on the government's books. "It will take some time to work out what impact it might have on government. The good news is there is extensive insurance in place." The government had received assurances from the private insurance sector that there were sufficient funds to meet the costs of claims and the EQC would also cover a lot of the cost. "But on the margins there's going to be some pretty tricky policy issues and questions about how the Government might or might not be involved." NO REQUESTS FROM FARMERS Air yeezy Agriculture minister David Carter said there had been no requests for help from the government so far from farmers, despite the damage many sustained to milking sheds and grain siloes. "At this stage the magnitude of the problem is unclear. The big thing is that un-seen infrastructure that might be damaged. "Depending on the extent of that they may be asking for assistance from the government. But as yet there's no clear request from anybody within the farming sector for central government assistance." The government was waiting for the full extent of the damage to be assessed before deciding whether help was needed and what form that would take. He said farmers were helping each other out by sharing milking sheds. "We know of one farm designed for 400 cows that milked 2000 cows in the first 24 hours. So farmers are cooperating with neighbours to solve their problems." While extra labour was needed, an unskilled Taskforce Green working group was likely to be of little use and skilled workers were needed to fix problems such as broken milking sheds. While a few paddocks were affected by cracks and could not be used, he hoped good weather would ensure strong grass growth. Milk tankers were making it to all their usual pick-ups by using alternative routes to get around unpassable roads. He said Fonterra had been proactive in helping farmers, were the first to take water supplies into the city and had set up a $1 million fund.Air Max Tn Air Max Tn(Special Edition) Women Air Max Ltd Women's Air Max 90 Women's Air Max Ltd 2