New Zealand has renewed its commitment to development efforts in the Kingdom of Tonga with a focus on governance and civil society, broad-based growth and sustainable livelihoods and education, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.

“The NZAID/Tonga country strategy is being launched in Nuku’alofa today. It is a major milestone in our relationship with Tonga and demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to a healthy and prosperous Pacific.

“Over the ten year period of this strategy, NZAID will deliver resources in excess of $120 million to support Tonga achieve its development goals. This signals New Zealand’s commitment to investing in development in Tonga, a close neighbour.

“A well-developed plan for how this money is to be spent is essential to making sure our aid makes real difference to those living in hardship in Tonga.

The strategy’s overarching aim is to reduce hardship in Tonga through activities which promote

• good governance,
• equitable access to quality education, and
• increased economic opportunities.

The Government of Tonga has asked for NZAID’s economic development assistance to be focused on tourism and technical and vocational training. NZAID is responding by designing new programmes in these areas in conjunction with the Tongan government.

“The Government of Tonga has been committed to the process of developing and consulting on the new Strategy. New Zealand looks forward to working with Tonga over the next decade to deliver improvements in development outcomes for its people,” Helen Clark said.

Tonga is currently New Zealand’s fifth largest bilateral aid recipient with an annual programme of $12 million.