NZ to provide additional emergency funding of $291,000 for food relief packages in Viti Levu

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced that additional emergency funding of FJ$291,000 will be made available to the New Zealand High Commission in Fiji to support the provision of food relief packages in Viti Levu.

She also says New Zealand is sending a second consignment of personal protective equipment to the Ministry of Health to help strengthen Fiji’s COVID-19 containment efforts.

Mahuta says this builds on from their earlier support for Fiji’s response including an initial shipment of medical personal protective equipment from Auckland, a COVID testing machine with consumables, supplies for airvos and supplies to Fiji NDMO and Divisional Commissioners to support coordination of operations on the ground.

The New Zealand government had provided an initial emergency funding allocation of FJ$500,000 which was used to partner with seven civil society organisations to support food relief, hygiene kits and counselling services in various containment zones in Viti Levu.