Key John: Motions — Cyclone Pam—Expression of Support for Vanuatu and Other Pacific CountriesText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKey John: Motions — Cyclone Pam—Expression of Support for Vanuatu and Other Pacific Countries[Sitting date: 17 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2255. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): I seek leave to move a motion without notice in relation to Cyclone Pam.Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action being followed? There is none.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I move That the House express its support for the people and Government of Vanuatu and other Pacific neighbours affected by Cyclone Pam. Over the weekend Cyclone Pam cut a path through the Pacific resulting in reports of damage from Fiji Tuvalu Kiribati and the Solomon Islands. However the most severely affected country is Vanuatu. When tropical Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu it was a category 5 cyclone with winds gusting up to 320 kilometres per hour. In the Efate province where Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila is located 90 percent of structures have been destroyed or damaged in some way. Thousands have been left homeless and sadly there are now reports of 24 confirmed fatalities. The most concerning thing is that reports of damage are still to come in from the outlying islands and remote provinces. Cyclone Pam is already the worst disaster in Vanuatu’s recent history and as we get a better picture of the damage outside Port Vila we cannot rule out the scale of this catastrophe increasing dramatically. The thoughts of all New Zealanders are with the people of Vanuatu at this difficult time and we want our neighbours in the Pacific to know that they do not face this disaster alone.As soon as we were able to on Saturday we launched a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion to conduct damage assessment flights over Tuvalu the first nation in Cyclone Pam’s path. As the first reports of damage came in we announced an initial $1 million contribution in funding to respond to specific requests for assistance in Vanuatu Fiji Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands and for NGOs in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands to replenish relief supplies. We also sent a Royal New Zealand Air Force C130 to Vanuatu carrying 8 tonnes of relief supplies and emergency personnel. There have now been two further relief flights to Vanuatu and we have upped our funding contribution to $2.5 million. Additional aid flights will depart today and we will continue to assess how we can best assist the people of Vanuatu. Although we are currently focused on the immediate relief effort it is clear that Vanuatu will need long-term support to recover from this disaster. We already have a significant aid programme in Vanuatu focused on the redevelopment of the port and waterfront infrastructure and we are looking at how we can best support this long-term rebuild.There are a number of New Zealanders in Vanuatu and I know that some families in New Zealand are also facing an anxious wait for news. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade consular offices are contacting New Zealanders in Vanuatu to confirm their well-being and at this stage the ministry has not received reports of any New Zealand casualties. More than 80 New Zealanders were brought home last night by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and our high commissioner is working to ensure that those who do need to leave urgently can do so now that commercial flights have resumed.Once again the thoughts of this House and all New Zealanders are with Vanuatu as they confront this calamity and they can take solace from the fact that they do not stand alone. The international community is rallying and I can assure the House that New Zealand will continue to do all it can to help the relief and recovery efforts.