Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced New Zealand will provide further assistance to the Philippines to help with the recovery process following Typhoon Bopha.

Two weeks after Typhoon Bopha first hit the Philippines, the death toll stands at 1050, while 838 people remain missing.  Bopha affected 6.2 million people in 34 provinces, destroying thousands of homes and livelihoods.

“New Zealand will be making an additional $1.5 million available to support relief and early recovery efforts, taking our support so far to $2 million,” Mr McCully says.

The New Zealand Government earlier provided $500,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross for essential relief items such as food, water and shelter.

New Zealand’s latest contribution will support UNICEF ($1 million) and New Zealand non-government organisations ($500,000) in meeting urgent water and sanitation needs.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully and Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman say an RNZAF C-130 Hercules has landed in cyclone-ravaged Samoa with additional relief supplies.

“At the request of the Samoan Government we sent a Hercules to Apia with essential humanitarian supplies and diesel generators to support the relief and recovery effort,” Mr McCully says.

“There is an urgent need for generators to ensure the Samoa Water Authority can pump and transport water to affected communities.

“In addition, we sent staff from the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management to work within the Samoa National Disaster Management Office.”

Mr McCully says further supplies were also sent to Fiji, with 300 large tarps, 20 generators, 10 chainsaws and 150 shovels arriving in Nadi on a commercial flight this afternoon.

Dr Coleman says he is pleased the New Zealand Defence Force has been able to support the authorities in Samoa and Fiji following Cyclone Evan.

“The involvement of the Defence Force C-130 plane reflects the next stage of the relief effort.  The P3 – Orion was used extensively for search and rescue and initial damage assessment flights.  The focus is now on the transportation of essential supplies for humanitarian assistance,” Dr Coleman says.

New Zealand has provided $2.6 million to Samoa and $2.4 million to Fiji since Cyclone Evan hit a week ago.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced provision of a further $2 million each for Samoa and Fiji to assist the next stage of recovery from Cyclone Evan.

The government has already provided $600,000 to Samoa and $400,000 to Fiji.

Mr McCully also announced that the P3 Orion that assisted Samoa with aerial assessment work in the early part of the week was moved to Fiji late yesterday to undertake similar work.

"While both countries continue to take stock of the cyclone damage it is clear that the cost is going to be substantial,” Mr McCully says.

“For this reason we have allocated a further $2m to each country to ensure there are no resource constraints over the coming days. In each case the funding will be administered by the Ministry in consultation with relevant agencies.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced New Zealand will assist with immediate relief efforts in Fiji following Cyclone Evan.

“Our thoughts are with the people of Fiji as they respond to Tropical Cyclone Evan,” Mr McCully says.

“As a first step, New Zealand will make $50,000 immediately available to respond to specific requests from Fiji. Tarpaulins, water containers, generators and chainsaw packs are also on the way to Fiji on commercial flights.

“A contribution of $170,000 to the Fiji Red Cross will help to replenish supplies and ensure it is well positioned to respond to those in immediate need.

“We are also looking at further funding for New Zealand-based non-government organisations that have supplies pre-positioned in Fiji. It seems clear further help will be required and we expect to provide more funding once damage assessments are complete.”

Early reports suggest damage to housing, on-going power outages and flooding across low-lying and river areas. More details will become available as the Fiji authorities make assessments today.

New Zealanders in Fiji are advised to follow instructions issued by local authorities (including any evacuation orders) and keep family in New Zealand informed of their well-being. If consular advice or assistance is required, they should contact the New Zealand High Commission in Suva.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced further assistance to Samoa in the aftermath of Cyclone Evan.

“New Zealand will be making an additional $550,000 immediately available to support relief and early recovery efforts in Samoa, taking our support so far to $600,000,” Mr McCully says.

Funding will be available to respond to official requests, to New Zealand non-government organisations and their partners on the ground, and the Samoa Red Cross.
Five additional New Zealand Red Cross workers will travel to Samoa to support local Red Cross efforts.

A P3 Orion is continuing to assist the Samoan Government with search and rescue and aerial surveillance activities.

“New Zealand will also consider further requests for assistance from Samoa as they undertake the longer-term reconstruction effort. Samoa faces a major recovery effort and they will not face it alone,” Mr McCully says.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced New Zealand will provide $500,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross Appeal to help those most in need following Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines.

"More than 400 lives have been confirmed lost during this disaster and a further 383 are missing.  Around 230,000 people are thought to have been affected, with homes, roads, bridges, power and communications infrastructure either damaged or destroyed," Mr McCully says.

"New Zealand’s funding will be made immediately available for essential relief items such as food, clean water and shelter.

"Assessments are on-going and New Zealand will consider additional assistance if needed.”

Prime Minister John Key today announced a $7 million aid package to Myanmar.

Mr Key made the announcement following a meeting with Myanmar’s President Thein Sein in the country’s capital city Naypyitaw.

“Over the next five years we will be investing $6 million in building Myanmar’s dairy farming capabilities through our aid programme. This will complement the funding we already make available for scholarships, and the English Language Training for Officials programme,” says Mr Key.

“New Zealand will also provide a $1 million package of humanitarian assistance in the Rakhine province, where inter-ethnic violence has led to large numbers of people being forced from their homes.’

During the meeting with President Thein Sein the Mr Key reaffirmed New Zealand’s support for Myanmar’s reintegration into the wider international community.

“Myanmar is going through significant political and economic change to deliver a better future for its people,” says Mr Key.

“President Thein Sein outlined the major reforms that have taken place in Myanmar over the past year, and the many challenges his country still faces.  He also briefed me on actions taken by the Myanmar government to address the extremely serious situation in the Rakhine province.”

New Zealand is looking to step up its political and diplomatic engagement with Myanmar by establishing a diplomatic presence in Myanmar next year.  The decision has also been made to use the name Myanmar, in recognition of the positive progress made to date in the reform process.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today condemned a mortar attack from Syria into Turkey that led to the deaths of five Turkish civilians in the border town of Akcakale.

Mr McCully says that while this is the latest in a series of incidents where violence from Syria has crossed the border, it is the first in which Turkish civilians have been killed.

“Our thoughts go out to the families of those killed and wounded in this attack,” Mr McCully says.

“We welcome Turkey’s continued efforts to work in close partnership with the international community to resolve the Syrian crisis.  As an immediate neighbour and a key regional power, Turkey will play an important role in achieving a peaceful solution and political transition in Syria.”

Mr McCully also acknowledged Turkey’s humanitarian response in accommodating thousands of refugees who continue to flee Syria.

New Zealand has given $1 million to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to assist Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced the government will support New Zealanders seriously affected by the Bali bombings to attend the 10-year anniversary ceremony in Bali on 12 October.

A total of 202 people were killed in the post 9/11 bombings in 2002 – the deadliest act of terrorism in Indonesia and the Asia Pacific region in recent times. The victims included 88 Australians, 32 Indonesians, and 24 British citizens. Three New Zealanders lost their lives, with others seriously injured.

“While the ceremony will be substantially focused on the large Australian loss of life, the New Zealand Government is keen to ensure that New Zealanders affected by the attack are able to be represented,” Mr McCully says.

Government assistance is available for up to two family members of the deceased, and for individuals who were seriously injured.

Those interested in assistance should contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 04 439 8000 or refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Safe Travel websites.

New Zealanders attending the commemoration are encouraged to register their details at www.safetravel.govt.nz.

Over 50 iterations of Rita Angus’s 1936 painting Cass are collated in André Hemer’s new exhibition C̶A̶S̶S, which considers ideas of distance, deletion and dislocation.

CASS is the latest exhibition Christchurch Art Gallery’s Rolling Maul series, and part of the Outer Spaces programme.

Christchurch Art Gallery director, Jenny Harper says the exhibition invites us to consider what happens to the idea of a painting, in a world where it is constantly reproduced, responded to and altered by others.

“Cass, a very well known work in our collection, has become deeply entwined with both our national and artistic identity. This was evident when it was voted New Zealand’s greatest painting in a television poll in 2006.

“In addition to this public acclaim, Cass has also generated responses from a number of New Zealand artists, such as Dane Mitchell, Peter Peryer and Julian Dashper, who have created works that reference Angus’s work, either representing the scene she painted or responding directly to Cass.

Christchurch Art Gallery curator Felicity Milburn says that Hemer’s installation examines the constantly multiplying presence of Cass in the virtual world by sampling the many and varied images available through a Google image search for the work. He contrasts this with the inaccessibility of the original painting, currently in storage inside the temporarily closed Christchurch Art Gallery building,

“The images of Cass throughout the real and virtual worlds seem endless, ranging from high-quality, ‘legitimate’, reproductions to cropped, blurred and otherwise corrupted versions.

“Hemer’s exhibition presents us with a question: do the countless copies and versions of Cass that exist simultaneously across old and new media dilute the importance of the original - or do they reinforce it?”

CASS opens in the Gallery’s offsite space above NG boutique and The National at 212 Madras Street 29 September – 22 October 2012.

For more information visit: www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will provide $500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help Syrian refugees and people affected by conflict in Lebanon.

“The International Committee of the Red Cross is providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance to more than 260,000 conflict affected people in Lebanon, including Syrians who have fled the conflict in Syria,” Mr McCully says.

“Civil unrest in Lebanon is creating a deepening crisis for these people, many of whom have already fled fighting in Syria.

“The shocking violence in Syria continues to escalate. More the 25,000 civilians have been killed and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.

“With no clear end to this conflict in sight the refugee situation is likely to deteriorate further and international action is required.”

New Zealand has already provided $1.5 million in funding to support refugee populations in Turkey and Jordan.