New Zealand businesses can apply for government support from March 2

Firms in New Zealand can apply for government support starting March 2, if their business suffered a fall in revenue due to changes in the COVID-19 alert level last week. 

To qualify for the payment, companies must show a 30% fall in revenue over seven days compared with a similar period in the six weeks prior to the heightened alert level. 

The payment support includes a lump sum payment of NZ$1,500 (US$1,101) per business, and an additional NZ$400 (US$293.9) per employee, up to a cap of 50 persons. 

The payment is available to all businesses, not just those in Auckland, according to Finance Minister Grant Robertson, reported Stuff news.

“We made the decision to offer the payment more broadly in recognition of the fact that businesses around the country may have their revenue affected by Auckland being in higher alerts levels for longer,” Robertson said.

READ: New Zealand mulls vaccinating workers at their workplaces

Earlier in February, the government also announced an expansion to its Flexi-wage initiative, which will support 40,000 New Zealanders into work. Under the scheme, businesses can receive an average of NZ$7,500 (US$5,506) per employee, although this will also depend on individual circumstances.