NZ, Australia to establish humanitarian warehouses with partners across the Pacific

New Zealand and Australia have joined a range of other partners in supporting the establishment of humanitarian relief warehouses across the Pacific, Foreign Ministers Winston Peters and Penny Wong say.

"As we know all too well, the Pacific is exposed to a wide range of natural hazards and other risks - including cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, volcanoes and disease. These disasters can lead to immense humanitarian need," New Zealand Foreign Minister Peters says.

"This initiative places Pacific countries at the centre of responses. It will give countries access to humanitarian relief supplies within 48 hours of a disaster to help meet immediate needs following an emergency."

Ministers Peters and Wong are currently in Fiji, to attend the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting.

New Zealand and Australia will invest a combined NZ $47.5 million, working alongside other partners such as the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The initiative will see warehouses built in 14 Pacific Islands countries and Timor-Leste.

"The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program is an excellent Pacific led initiative, and Australia and New Zealand are proud to back it to help ensure there is easily accessible support and supplies on the ground for communities when disaster strikes,' Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong says.

"This is a practical demonstration of how we are working together to address our shared challenges."