Some members of the Cook Islands community in Auckland say they're dismayed by scant progress with cyclone damage repairs.
Community leaders from the island of Aitutaki who met in Auckland last night say an NZAID grant of $5.5 million is locked up in bureacracy, while people affected by February's storm live in tents.
Mama Tupou Manapouri, from the Manukau City Council Pacific Advisory Board, says the New Zealand Government must press for action from the Cook Islands authorities.
She says while people on Aitutaki are resiliant, without more help their mental health is being compromised.
The chairman of the Aitutaki Enua Society, Manika Glassie, says while the grant falls short of what is needed to repair the damage, nothing will be done until the money is released by the Cook Islands government.
