NZ mobilises relief

The NZ Government has opened an emergency fund of $50,000 and sent an Air Force Orion to Fiji to assess the damage in the nation that will remain in a State of Emergency for the next month.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has also authorised the release of up to $170,000 in relief supplies held on the island by groups such as Unicef and Rotary. Further help would be decided in coming days once the scale of the disaster was known.

"New Zealand stands ready to assist the people of Fiji as they deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Winston and we are in close contact with the Government of Fiji."

Queen Victoria School is one of the schools badly affected by the cyclone. Classrooms, office, school dormitories and most of the staff quarters were damaged. Photo / Fiji Times