A New Zealand foreign affairs official says it's highly likely that the government will fund a new fisheries intiative in Tuvalu once it's received a request for assistance from that country's government.
Tuvalu's fisheries department is seeking funding of almost three million US dollars from either New Zealand or Australia to implement a four-year programme to develop and manage its fisheries.
Figures show that last year Tuvalu received only five percent of the nine million US dollars worth of fish caught in its waters.
John Egan says helping Tuvalu with its fisheries is a priority for the New Zealand government.
"One of the things we want to do once the new government is confirmed is to agree with them the nature of our engagement and development co-operation with them over the next two to three years and fisheries will certainly be included in that."
The deputy director in the Pacific development division of the New Zealand's Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, John Egan.
