via Radio New Zealand Three shipping containers are being set up at Auckland s Mt Smart Stadium to be filled with donations for Tonga today. The Aotearoa Tonga Relief Committee is organising the relief effort and plans to collect and ship food and emergency supplies donated mainly by people with family of those living in Tonga. People can donate food and emergency supplies at Mt Smart stadium from 9am to 8pm on Friday and Saturday. Priority will be given to people with family in Tonga, with each family being allocated a 44-gallon drum to send.
The umbrella organisation for New Zealand’s aid agencies, Council for International Development is calling on banks and money transfer businesses to drop (or reduce) any bank fees as Tongan New Zealanders mobilise to send funds to support Tonga following the eruption. Remittances play a critical role following an emergency in the Pacific. “The most urgent need in times of crisis is money, not stuff. No other type of donation can match its impact,” says Aaron Davy, Humanitarian Manager at Council for International Development.