WELLINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government on Thursday unveiled a wage subsidy package as a first step to help small businesses in the quake-stricken South Island town of Kaikoura.
The town, a major attraction on the South Island tourism itinerary with its whale-watching activities, has been cut off since Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake wiped out road and rail links.
Its seafood industry is also at risk after the quake raised the seabed by several meters in places, leaving paua (abalone) and crayfish fisheries high and dry.
The recovery package would assist companies most seriously disrupted by the earthquake and aftershocks to retain staff while the district recovered, said Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.
Road links could be closed for "many weeks and possibly months," Joyce said in a statement.
"On top of that, the earthquake has had a massive negative effect on the fisheries industry in the district. It is clear that if we don't move quickly, much of the employment in the area will dry up."
The subsidy would be paid for up to eight weeks initially and would be reviewed next month when more information was available.
"We've set aside up to 7.5 million NZ dollars (5.32 million U.S. dollars) for this subsidy for the eight-week period at this stage," Tolley said in the statement.
The government was working on additional programs to assist the primary sector, and assist local businesses with their tax payments.
The New Zealand Defence Force has been evacuating hundreds of stranded tourists and displaced locals since the quake, which killed two people, with help from U.S., Australian, Canadian and Japanese forces.