Chapter 172: Ongoing Aid
The typhoon eventually made landfall in New Zealand.
When the residents of Opunake saw the towering wave, more than five meters high, all their hearts sank. Despair quickly began to spread among the crowd.
However, the typhoon did not allow people time to communicate or cry out. In an instant, the massive wave swept through the entire Opunake town, rushing toward the people fleeing outside the town.
The wave itself wasn't the most despairing part. The debris it carried—broken trees, houses, and pieces of fishing boats—showcased the power of the typhoon and the massive wave, while also inflicting significant harm on the fleeing people. After the wave passed, it continued to strike a final blow.
This deadly typhoon didn't realize the damage it had caused. After it destroyed Opunake, a fishing village on New Zealand's North Island, it continued its path northward, heading toward North Taranaki Bay.
Along its path, the typhoon passed through a prominent section of the North Island. This area contained not only more than a dozen fishing towns, but also New Zealand's second-largest city, Auckland.
On the afternoon of November 8, 1903, in Wellington, North Island, New Zealand.
All of New Zealand's important officials were gathered, sitting around the colonial government's meeting room, their brows furrowed.
With Arthur absent, the highest-ranking person in the room was General Pierce Anthony, the commander of the military stationed in New Zealand.
The news of the typhoon's landfall on the West Coast of the North Island had already reached Wellington. That was why all of New Zealand's key officials, including the military commander, General Pierce, were gathered in one place.
"Everyone, the urgent task now is to immediately send a large number of rescue workers, soldiers, and even civilians to the line from Auckland to Opunake on the West Coast. Our delay by even a minute may result in hundreds of New Zealand civilians perishing in this disaster," General Pierce said seriously.
This was an emergency that concerned the entire nation, and General Pierce was no longer concerned with matters of jurisdiction. The most important task was to rescue the affected New Zealand civilians, and all other concerns seemed insignificant in the face of disaster.
"I agree with General Pierce. Right now, the most important task for the New Zealand government is to rescue the civilians, even at any cost," Joshua Brock responded in agreement.
Joshua Brock was the head of the Royal Relief Committee in New Zealand, a position Arthur had assigned him. He also served as the intermediary between New Zealand's powers and Arthur.
To some extent, Joshua represented Arthur's opinions, making him one of the giants in New Zealand's political landscape.
"With Joshua's endorsement, General Pierce's serious expression clearly softened," the situation had been tense, but knowing that Joshua, representing Arthur's will, agreed with him was a huge relief for Pierce.
"But, General Pierce, the government doesn't have enough funds for disaster relief. After the governor's orders for major repair and construction projects, most of the funds that the Australian royal family allocated to us have already been used up. And with the ongoing expenses of the government, we currently have less than £100,000 available. This amount of money needs to cover both the government's maintenance and military expenses. It's simply insufficient for disaster relief," a colonial official said somewhat helplessly.
Although the relationship between colonial officials and General Pierce Anthony had not always been smooth, in such an important situation, concerning New Zealand's national sentiment, the officials were united with General Pierce.
But New Zealand's situation was indeed dire. Having just emerged from an economic downturn, much of the funding from Arthur had already gone toward infrastructure, and the remaining funds, while enough for the government and military's basic operations, left little for disaster relief. For a large-scale disaster like this, it was only a drop in the bucket.
"I'll try to help as much as I can, everyone. The prince has already notified me that the Australian government and royal family can provide £150,000 and £300,000 in free aid to New Zealand. This money will arrive soon, and I believe it will temporarily support our relief efforts," Joshua directly said.
After confirming the typhoon had left Australia, Arthur had sent word to Joshua, the head of the Royal Relief Committee in New Zealand, to inform him of the Australian aid.
Hearing Joshua's words, everyone visibly relaxed. Funds were a serious issue for New Zealand at the moment. Even if they were to seek loans from civilians, it would still fall far short of what was needed for the relief efforts.
The £450,000 in aid that Australia was offering far exceeded the expectations of all New Zealand's officials. This money would at least be able to cover the early stages of the relief work, and the New Zealand government could handle the aftermath and compensation themselves, though barely.
"Along with the funds, a shipment of food and clothing will also arrive. However, relying solely on Australia's aid is not enough. I recommend that your government immediately request humanitarian aid from the British Empire and European nations to bring New Zealand, this beautiful country, back to its pre-disaster state," Joshua suggested.
The British Empire was currently focused on naval armament competition with the German Empire, and with Europe's chaotic situation and the ongoing conflicts in the Far East, resources available to be allocated to New Zealand were few.
Since Arthur had become the governor of New Zealand, the British Empire had reduced its resource allocation to New Zealand year after year, and this trend was continuing.
After all, Queen Victoria's will had essentially made New Zealand Arthur's personal domain. As long as there were no accidents, New Zealand was effectively a part of Arthur's territory.
Given this situation, British aristocrats were not willing to waste domestic resources on developing New Zealand, which was already destined to be under someone else's control.
Moreover, the appointment of the governor of New Zealand had been established in Queen Victoria's will, and even Edward VII had no power to change it. Any attempt to intervene in New Zealand would be seen as a betrayal of Queen Victoria's will and a betrayal of the British Empire itself.
Under these circumstances, which official would propose intervening in New Zealand?
It was foreseeable that even if the British Empire agreed to provide aid to New Zealand, it would most likely be mere token assistance.
Compared to the £450,000 and substantial food and clothing aid from Australia, the British aid seemed insignificant.
New Zealand's officials were unaware of Arthur's plans and took Joshua's suggestion as sincere.
At this time, New Zealand was indeed lacking in various types of aid, including funds. Therefore, with a unanimous vote, they quickly agreed to Joshua's proposal to request aid from European nations, particularly the British Empire, to assist New Zealand in its time of disaster.
On November 10, 1903.
After two days of rampant destruction, the typhoon finally passed through New Zealand's second-largest city, Auckland, crossing the Hauraki Gulf and entering the Pacific Ocean at Fitzroy Harbour on Great Barrier Island. It gradually disappeared from the view of New Zealanders.
This was a cause for celebration for the people of New Zealand. The typhoon, which had wreaked havoc for two days, had finally left, and New Zealand's disaster was officially over.
However, the bad news was that the areas affected by the typhoon stretched from southwestern North Island, Opunake, all the way up to Auckland. This was the most prosperous area of New Zealand's North Island, home to four cities, including Auckland, and more than a dozen small towns, with a total population of over 300,000.
No one knew the extent of the damage this typhoon had caused to the region. All officials of the New Zealand colonial government were preparing for the worst regarding the damage to Auckland.
By afternoon, the £450,000 in aid, along with a shipment of food and clothing, arrived at the Wellington port.
To ensure the safe delivery of these supplies, the transport fleet even took a detour from the southern part of the Tasman Sea, passing around Stewart Island on New Zealand's South Island before safely bringing the supplies to port.
At the same time, responses from Europe had arrived. Although most European nations had little to do with New Zealand, out of humanitarian concern, many great powers had provided some aid to New Zealand, though the contributions were small.
Among them, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire provided the most aid. The German Empire contributed one million marks and several tons of food, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire offered 500,000 crowns.
The remaining European powers contributed similar amounts, ranging from £5,000 to £10,000 in aid, with France also participating.
The British Empire, which New Zealand had high hopes for, only contributed £20,000—far less than the aid from the German and Austro-Hungarian empires.
Altogether, the total aid from European nations amounted to around £150,000.
Among them, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were the biggest contributors, with £50,000 and £41,000, respectively.
Though New Zealand's colonial officials were disappointed by the British Empire's aid, the most pressing issue was the urgent rescue operation on the West Coast of New Zealand's North Island. The New Zealand government had little time to focus on anything else.
But that didn't mean everyone else had no time to act.
As the current leader of the Alliance Party and the head of the coalition, Grant was feeling very confident.
Having risen from a small-town mayor to the leader of New Zealand's largest political party, and the head of one of the most important administrative bodies, Grant was well aware of who had given him this power and that the person could easily take it away.
In fact, Grant had never forgotten his mission. Since Arthur left, he had been working hard to increase support for the Alliance Party among the New Zealand people.
At present, the Alliance Party had become New Zealand's true leading party, with over 20,000 New Zealanders supporting it. More than a hundred officials, including mayors of small and medium cities and key officers from the colonial government, had joined the party.
Grant had quickly noticed the difference between the aid from the British Empire and Australia, and he was already planning to make the distinction known to more New Zealanders.
(End of Chapter)
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