14 Oct 2009

New Zealand gives Tonga more tsunami relief

4:19 pm on 14 October 2009

New Zealand is to give 1.1 million US dollars to Tonga to help the recovery and reconstruction after the tsunami.

Nine lives were lost and there was significant damage to houses and infrastructure when the tsunami struck the isolated northern island of Niuatoputapu.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully says the Tongan government has led a well-coordinated emergency relief operation, and with support from New Zealand, France, and Australia, immediate needs on Niuatoputapu have been met.

He says the focus is now shifting to longer-term recovery and reconstruction, with the Tongan government producing detailed damage assessments.

Mr McCully says reconstruction work on Niuatoputapu will be difficult due to its isolation, with most supplies needing to be delivered by boat, which adds to the cost and complexity of the task.

The minister says the HMNZS Canterbury, which has recently arrived in Tonga, will be able to help the Tongan government transport material to Niuatoputapu.