10 Nov 2009

French fly ill NZ envoy to Cook Islands back home

5:23 pm on 10 November 2009

New Zealand's high commissioner to the Cook Islands, Tia Barrett, has been flown to Auckland for urgent medical after suffering from a heart problem over the weekend.

Mr Barrett was flown here by a French military aircraft.

A statement from the French High Commission in French Polynesia says they were contacted late on Saturday night by the New Zealand authorities.

Three hours later the special French military flight took off to evacuate Mr Barrett.