16 Mar 2004

New Zealand's Aid Minister praises recovery plan drawn up in Niue

7:27 am on 16 March 2004

New Zealand's Aid Minister, Marion Hobbs, says a recovery plan drawn up by Niue's Government to deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Heta is excellent.

The Minister was presented with a plan during a tour of the storm wrecked island at the weekend.

She says the document is very detailed.

"It goes through what we need to do immediately, what do we need to do in terms of housing, what do we do with each sector be it health, be it fishing, be it whatever. .about education and training, about government capital assets, what do we do with water and land and energy all sorts of structure things, earning money things ...tourism and forestry and agriculture, the economic development of the governance issues, the stability issues ..all those sorts of things."

Ms Hobbs says she has agreed to a Niue request that New Zealand provide someone to oversee the implementation of the plan.