Habitat for Humanity chief executive Claire Szabó today meets with deputy Prime Minister of Tonga Hon Siaosi Solaveni and New Zealand Member of Parliament Jenny Salesa as the charity progresses its plans to expand its services to the Pacific nation.
The global shelter charity operates in more than 70 countries, but Fiji is currently the only Pacific nation with a permanent Habitat for Humanity presence.
“In a world where 1.6 billion people live in sub-standard shelter, keeping the Pacific Islands on the international organisation's agenda has been a longstanding commitment for our New Zealand team,” Szabó said.
“We’ve collaborated with our Australian and Fijian colleagues to ensure other parts of the Pacific are remembered.”
“Now under a policy change at our global headquarters, Habitat for Humanity New Zealand has permission to look at taking our services to Tonga. This recognises the impact on Tongans of living in the Pacific cyclone belt - a fact of geography worsening through the effects of global climate change.”
Szabó said the meeting with the Tongan Deputy leader is “particularly relevant” as he has further ministerial responsibilities for the environment.
“It’s after natural disasters when our work is most urgently needed - as it currently is in Fiji following Cyclone Winston,” she said.
Habitat New Zealand already has extensive operations in Samoa following the devastating 2009 tsunami. It is now part-way through a three-year, NZAID-supported project building and repairing more than 250 cyclone-resilient homes there