NZ pledges $10m to fight polio in PNG

New Zealand has committed $10 million towards curbing the spread of polio in Papua New Guinea, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.

He also announced New Zealand would contribute $13.5 million over four years to support 200,000 Pacific households by bolstering agricultural trade access.

Peters, who was in Papua New Guinea (PNG) with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for the Apec conference, said the polio outbreak in PNG was a tragedy for those children and families affected. It had been polio-free for 18 years.

“As polio is a highly infectious disease which transmits rapidly, there is a potential for the outbreak to spread to other children across the country, or even into neighbouring countries unless swift action is taken,” the organisation said.

Peters said investing in vaccinations was one of the most effective investments in economic growth and human development that a country could make.

He also announced the Government had earmarked funding to support agricultural market access in the Pacific.

The Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (Phama) Plus programme is a joint initiative between New Zealand and Australia.

It would target select export products in Pacific countries and help producers, processors and exporters improve productivity, quality of production, and capacity to meet export biosecurity requirements.

Agricultural, forestry, fishery and handicraft products would be targeted for support under the scheme, Peters said, adding the initiative would benefit 200,000 Pacific households.