8 Oct 2003

Niue economy gets a boost from New Zealand aid agency

5:24 pm on 8 October 2003

Niue's economy is to receive a big boost from New Zealand with an aid grant of nearly 700 thousand US dollars over the next financial year to help boost the island's economy.

The funding comes after a plea for help early this year from the Niue Government.

It had requested assistance to foster vanilla farming, tourism and fishing, but fishing has since received a boost from a private investor planning a processing factory.

There will a significant contribution towards the development of an export vanilla industry, but the Niue Government's secretary, Cecilia Talagi, says tourism and other sectors will also get a boost.

"the other part will be targetted at improving the tourism accommodation and other tourism related activities....the other parts also will be apportioned to language and culture and also the major portion of it will be put aside to assist capital assets and maintenance programme"