Grant to go towards village relocations

The $10 million in budget support provided by the New Zealand government will go towards the relocation of 42 villages threatened by climate change.

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said they were grateful to the New Zealand government for providing the grant that will assist these communities.

“They will be put into areas that were more affected by the phenomenon that we did not budget for,” Mr Rabuka said.

“Some of the grant that we are getting will go towards relocations that are part of the climate change adaptations.

“They have assisted in the relocation of six villages in the past and some of the grant they have now allocated for the future will help with the relocation of another 42 villages and those will be built into the national budget of Fiji.”

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said they were committed to assisting vulnerable Pacific countries in addressing the impact of climate change.

New Zealand also committed $20 million to Fiji for climate resilience initiatives.