Five New Zealand parliamentarians visited Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office team in Suva yesterday.

Five New Zealand parliamentarians visited Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office team in Suva yesterday.

This includes NZ’s Foreign Affairs Chair Jenny Salesa, Deputy Chair of Foreign Affairs Gerry Brownlee, Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman, Labour Party MP Ingrid Leary, MP Ibrahim Omer, and National Party MP Nicola Grigg.

NZ’s Foreign Affairs Chair Jenny Salesa says this is their first trip after the pandemic and such trips allow them to meet with officials and determine what kind of aid is more urgently required.

“It was really good to be here, to have one of your assistant Ministers here, to connect with your permanent secretary for defence and permanent secretary for disaster management as well because it is one thing for us to sit in New Zealand and think these are the things Fiji needs but it is much better just to be on the ground”

Assistant Minister for Disaster Management Vijay Nath has expressed gratitude to the New Zealand government for their ongoing assistance during natural catastrophes.

“The much-needed assistance was received through multiple modalities including Aerial assessment support, deployment of emergency humanitarian relief supplies that consisted of shelter tool kits, generator, family hygiene kits, tarpaulins, mother and infant kits, and collapsible water containers”

The MPs will be visiting Tonga and the Solomon Islands as part of their official trip.