Simon Bridges believes that the economy is stable enough to adequately support people through the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle.
Bridges, the Auckland Business Chamber's chief executive, joined Dita De Boni and Sue Bradford on Newshub Nation's expert political panel on Saturday.
The former National Party leader, who has met with Transport Minister Michael Wood and Finance Minister Grant Robertson, said it's clear fixing the damage to infrastructure is going to be a multi-billion dollar task.
"The good news is, actually, I would suggest we can afford this, we have low public debt," Bridges said.
"Local Government's never going to be able to pay for this, it's always going to require central Government," he added.
Bridges believes New Zealand will need special legislation to support the recovery.
"I would be very surprised if anyone in Parliament voted against that," he said.
The panel agreed a specific minister and agency would be required to handle the recovery.
De Boni, a senior journalist at NBR, also expected bipartisan support for such a move.
However, she was concerned parties like ACT and National have not signalled they "accept that climate change has to be paid for and mitigated by all parts of society".
Watch the full video for more.
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