Collection for Tonga underway today in Auckland
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.
Items being asked for are non-perishable foods like rice, canned meat, as well as water, small cooking utensils, batteries and torches.
Comittee Secretary, Pakilau Manase Lua said the Tongan government would prioritise distributing goods to the worst affected islands like Mango, Atata, Nomuka, Fonoifua.
He said the relief effort was giving many Tongan families in New Zealand a chance to turn worry into action while they wait to re-connect with loved ones.
New Zealand aid charities are also responding and running appeals to support the work of their Tongan partners and colleagues on the ground.
“We are seeing a huge amount of generosity in New Zealand to support the Tongan community during this crisis. One of the best ways the public can help is by donating funds to reputable and experienced humanitarian response organisations who have existing partnerships with Tongan community groups,” says Aaron Davy, Humanitarian Manager at Council for International Development (CID).
The following New Zealand aid charities are working through local Tongan organisations. An updated list of appeals and response information is available on the Council for International Development website.
- Caritas Aotearoa – working with Caritas Tonga
- TearFund – working with Tonga National Council of Churches
- Oxfam – working with Tonga National Youth Council, Tonga National Council of Churches (TNCC), Ma'a Fafine mo e Famili Inc. (MFF), and Tonga Leitis Association (TLA)
- ChildFund – supporting Red Cross
- Rotary – working with MORDI (Mainstreaming of Rural Development Innovation Tonga Trust), and Mango Tree Centre
- Habitat for Humanity – working with Caritas Tonga
- ADRA – working with Seventh-Day Adventist Church Tonga
- Christian World Service – working with Tonga Community Development Trust, and Ama Takiloa network of women's groups
- Anglican Missions – working with Anglican Church of Tonga
- Christian Blind Mission (cbm) – working with Naunau o’e Alamaite Tonga Association (NATA), Tonga National Visual Impairment Association (TNVIA), and Lavame’ata’e’iloa Association (LATA)
- Volunteer Service Abroad – working with Vaiola Hospital, Mai E Nima (‘Give Me Five’), and ‘Uluaki Faiako Cooperation Society
- Save the Children – working with Tonga Council of Directors of Education System (TCDES)
- World Vision
“Kiwi support of these appeals is immediately transferred to direct support and resources for our local partners on the ground. They are the people who best know what the needs are, and how to respond. We know that no other type of donation can match the assistance provided from giving cash”.
Remittances also play a critical role following an emergency in the Pacific.
“We urge banks and money-transference businesses to support humanitarian responses, by temporarily wavering transaction costs or keeping them at less than 3% during an emergency response and removing bureaucratic barriers for already stressed families trying to send cash to family overseas.”
Watch for this CID Code ‘Tick’ to signify to donors and the public that these CID-member aid agencies have met the accountability standards expected by the public.
For more information on how to donate responsibly check out the video below -