N.Z. food ship heads Africa-aid effort

Press, 12 March 1985, Page 8

N.Z. food ship heads Africa-aid effort

PA Wellington A New Zealand-crewed ship packed with locally produced food will be the centre-piece of New Zealand’s Africa famine relief effort, to be launched today. The New Zealand effort will be started by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. The idea of crewing a New Zealand vessel laden with produce was first put up by the Cooks and Stewards Union as a “Kiwi” way of personally expressing concern for the famineaffected people.

The union has got agreement from other unionists to load and crew the vessel free. It will mean many weeks without pay for those who travel in the ship but so many have volunteered that positions have had to be balloted. New Zealand producer boards have also responded, with the promise of food to be carried in the vessel. The ship will sail not for Ethiopia but for Port Sudan, in the Sudan, Ethiopia’s northern neighbour. Government sources said

that by unloading New Zealand’s mercy vessel at Port Sudan the supplies could more easily get to the people who most needed them, not only in northern Ethiopian provinces such as Eritrea, but in southern Sudan. The Government has agreed to underwrite the voyage, and also to make a further donation to the relief effort. At $1 million it will be the biggest lump sum payment New Zealand has ever made to an overseas aid project, and follows up the $l.l million

Government pledged in January to be spread among various relief agencies working in Africa. The Government’s aid package is expected to be announced today when Mr Lange releases the itinerary for his proposed trip to Africa, beginning on March 30. Mr Lange plans to visit the East African nations of Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. He is expected to have talks in India and Australia on his way back to New Zealand in mid-Aprii.