Wellington, Apr 18 (IANS): The New Zealand government continues to help people and businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle, which hit the North Island in February.

The government is providing an additional NZ$25 million ($15 million) to help more businesses in the clean-up from the damage caused by cyclone-affected regions, reports Xinhua news agency.

This follows earlier support of NZ$50 millionto assist the business community with their immediate cashflow needs.

"The priority has been to get businesses back up and running as quickly as possible from the impact of the cyclone, working through the local agencies on the ground who know their area best," Minister of Finance and Cyclone Recovery Grant Robertson said on Tuesday.

The extra funding allows more firms to be supported by up to NZ$40,000 per business.

As with the previous funding, it will be managed locally by agreed providers, Robertson said.

"We are committed to helping people and businesses recover from the cyclone," he said.