Asia Tsunami | Four Years On
On 26 December 2004 a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a wave of destruction that tore through countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
The Boxing Day or Asian Tsunami, as the disaster became known, destroyed homes, businesses and villages, and left over 185,000 people dead and over 3 million people affected. Five New Zealand citizens and two New Zealand citizens who were dual nationals were killed in the disaster.
The tsunami galvanised the world to support one of the largest and most complex recovery programmes in history. New Zealand provided its largest aid contribution to date – a $68 million aid package – managed largely by New Zealand’s Agency for International Development (NZAID).
The contribution reflected both the magnitude of the disaster and its impact on a number of nations in the South East Asian region with which New Zealand has important bilateral relationships.
Non-government organisations (NGOs) and the private sector mobilised in recognition of the sheer scale of the destruction and were at the forefront of the immediate response to the Asian Tsunami.
Individual New Zealanders and families also dug deep, giving millions of dollars to assist those in need. The New Zealand Government matched dollar for dollar the public generosity by contributing $19 million.
The whole of government response to the Asian Tsunami included:
$19 million for dollar-for-dollar matching of public donations
$4 million for other contributions which enabled New Zealand to meet specific requests, for example from the Red Cross and through Commonwealth channels
$5 million to cover costs incurred by departments in responding to the tsunami. This applied particularly to the disaster identification work coordinated by the New Zealand Police.
Related Links
- NZAID's bilateral programme in Indonesia and relief, reconstruction, and development work in Aceh and Nias
- Sri Lanka and Thailand post tsunami
- Non-government organisations and the response to the Boxing Day Tsunami
- The United Nations
Further information
Click here for the 2008 United Nations report - Strengthening emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction, recovery and prevention in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
Page Last Reviewed: 23 December, 2008