The umbrella organisation for New Zealand’s aid agencies, Council for International Development is calling on banks and
money transfer businesses to drop (or reduce) any bank fees as Tongan New Zealanders mobilise to send funds to support
Tonga following the eruption.
Remittances play a critical role following an emergency in the Pacific. “The most urgent need in times of crisis is
money, not stuff. No other type of donation can match its impact,” says Aaron Davy, Humanitarian Manager at Council for
International Development.
“We urge banks and money-transference businesses to support humanitarian responses, by temporarily wavering transaction
costs or keeping them at zero or less than 3% during an emergency response and removing bureaucratic barriers for
already stressed families trying to send cash to family overseas.”How to send cash safely:Donate to a trusted humanitarian organisation in New Zealand. For a full list of accredited humanitarian responders, go
to the Council for International Development’s website www.cid.org.nzUse the same banks and businesses that you use to send remittances to impacted families or church communities in the
PacificIf you still want to collect stuff, convert it into cash in New Zealand by selling it at a garage sale, then sending the
cash.
Visit: donateresponsibly.org