New Zealand's associate Finance Minister Steven Joyce says his government and its partners in the Pacific are working on better co-ordinating their regional aid efforts.
Speaking from Rarotonga where he has attended the region's Economic Ministers meeting, Mr Joyce says there is optimism that Pacific Island countries can weather the global economic crisis with additional help from the various donor countries and agencies.
He says some Pacific Island countries appear to be coping with the crisis better than expected.
Mr Joyce says the meeting has seen more focus on how to better co-ordinate activity from all donor partners...
"Including the ADB and the World Bank, who have both said they are going to put more into the Pacific over the next three years in terms of investment which is encouraging. And of course we know, New Zealand has diverted more of its aid dollar into the Pacific region. And that's been well received by the partner countries and Australia has been very active as well as we know."
New Zealand's associate Finance Minister Steven Joyce
