Daily life will be a little easier for over 400 families in Tongatapu and ‘Eua with the arrival this week of a consignment of non-perishable food from New Zealand.
The consignment was put together by Tongan RSE workers and subsidised by their employers and is valued at over $TOP100,000.
NZ Government agency MBIE, Horticulture New Zealand and Tonga Development Bank also chipped in to pay the freight costs of the 3x20ft containers
Of the 400 families involved, 60 or so are in Eua and their consignment will be shipped over on the next day or two.
RSE liaison officer in New Zealand, Sefita Hao’uli is here to assist with the distribution which is being carried out by NEMO and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The distribution is being carried out at the entrance to Teufaive Stadium and recipients are asked to bring ID and a suitable vehicle as there’s over 130 kilos of food for each family to take home.
It is hoped that the distribution in Nuku’alofa will be completed today and the consignment to the Eua families will leave for Ohonua on the ferry this afternoon.
The RSE workers are grateful for the financial assistance received which enabled them to help their families while they’re away from home.
Background information:
- Consignment of 3 containers valued at $TOP110K including freight.
- Each fāmily will receive:
- 25 kilos of rice
- 25 kilos of sugar
- 60 kilos of flour
- 20 litres of cooking oil
- 1 carton of canned mackerel
- A similar initiative was in place for Vava’u and Ha’apai families following cyclone Ian.
- Most employers either advanced and/or subsidised the workers contribution to the consignment e.g Mr Apple who employs over 300 workers paid $NZ30,000 to subsidise their workers contribution.
- The freight costs were met by MBIE, Horticulture New Zealand and Tonga Development Bank.
- Tongan government’s decision to waive tax and duty for 6 months after Gita has helped to make this more affordable for the workers and their families. Agencies NEMO and the Ministry of Internal Affairs played key roles to make all this possible.
- ‘Oku laka hake he toko 1600 ‘oku nau ngāue RSE ‘i Nu’usila he ta’u kotoa pe pea ko ‘enau tokoni pa’anga mo e koloa ki he mo’ui faka’ekonomika ‘a Tonga ‘oku ‘i he $TOP12m – 15m fakata’u.
