New Zealand will provide 68 million NZ dollars (about US$47.6 million) disaster relief package for tsunami-stricken south Asian countries, Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Tuesday.

She made the announcement at a press conference following the first cabinet meeting in the new year.

The package includes 20 million NZ dollars (about US$14 million) for the United Nations tsunami relief effort and 20 million NZ dollars for the New Zealand Aid bilateral program in Indonesia, one of the worst hit areas.

Another 19 million NZ dollars (about US$13.3 million) will go toward the dollar-for-dollar matching of public donations in the country.

Specific requests will get 4 million NZ dollars (about US$2.8 million) and 5 million NZ dollars (about US$3.5 million) will cover the costs of departments working over there.

Clark said the package reflects both the magnitude of the disaster and its impact on a number of nations in the region with which New Zealand has important bilateral relationships.

Clark said it has been a huge "whole-of-government" operation, involving many departments, which have been going since the tsunami struck on Boxing Day killing more than 160,000 people.

She said the 68 million NZ dollars package includes the 10 million NZ dollars already allocated and 52 million NZ dollars (about US$36.4 million) that would be spent this financial year. The United Nations would immediately receive 20 million NZ dollars (about US$14 million).

"Our judgment is that as a good neighbor, New Zealand should step forward in times of crisis, as it has from the outset of the relief effort," the prime minister said.

According to Clark, The 68 million NZ dollars represents about 17 NZ dollars per person in New Zealand.

"In terms of contributions announced by other governments so far, I think per capita New Zealand is probably coming in about ninth, which is a very big thing for us," she said.

Clark also said about 113 defense force personnel are now deployed in the region.

They are operating three air force aircraft. A medical team is working in Banda Aceh, communications specialists are in three cities, and staff officers are attached to emergency headquarters in Medan.

"The New Zealand police have also made a huge contribution, with 25 police and civilian staff deployed in the international disaster victim identification operation in Phuket, Thailand," she said.

Clark also announced that the cabinet has agreed the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management would contract specialists to review existing information about the risk of tsunamis to New Zealand.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2005)