Press Release
The New Zealand Government is supporting Tonga following Cyclone Gita, and sends its
thoughts to all people affected.
“The Kingdom of Tonga is a friend and neighbour to New Zealand, and we are working
closely with Tongan authorities to support their efforts,” says New Zealand High
Commissioner-designate Tiffany Babington.
“Since the cyclone, the resilience of the Tongan people has shone through.”
“New Zealand has so far committed $NZ2.25 million to Cyclone Gita relief. We have also
provided surveillance capability to Tonga to help assess the damage.”
Two New Zealand Defence Force planes have arrived since Tuesday bringing with them
emergency supplies including family hygiene kits, shelter kits, jerry cans, tarpaulins,
generators and agricultural tools from New Zealand.
Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Defence
Force, New Zealand Fire Service, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Civil Defence
and Emergency Management are also in-country to help the New Zealand High
Commission coordinate its initial response in support of the Government of Tonga.
“While there is still a lot of work ahead to recover from the cyclone, we commend Tonga
for its relief efforts and stand ready to help.”
The New Zealand High Commission Emergency Fund has assisted by committing $14,000
pa’anga to the Tonga Red Cross to enable them to prepare logistics to distribute the
emergency supplies. Pre-positioned supplies with Caritas and the Tonga Youth Congress
have also been distributed.
