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New Zealand aid to target Pacific fisheries, tourism, agriculture

Xinhua, September 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

The New Zealand government is to up its development assistance to the Pacific region by 10 percent to 1 billion NZ dollars (638.2 million U.S. dollars) over the next three years, Prime Minister John Key said Wednesday.

Sixty percent of New Zealand's aid budget would be allocated to the Pacific, recognizing "the importance we place on our neighborhood, the challenges we collectively face, and the enormous potential our region has," said Key, who is currently attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in a statement from his office.

"Our investment will focus on partnering with Pacific governments to develop the sectors that have the greatest potential to drive growth, including fisheries, tourism and agriculture," said Key.

"We will also continue to invest in the areas that underpin sustainable economic development such as access to affordable, reliable and clean energy, ICT connectivity, and education," he said.

"New Zealand has been at the forefront of efforts to shift the Pacific from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable electricity. This work to address energy insecurity and build resilience will continue over the next three years as we step up our support for climate change adaptation." Endi