New Zealand will continue to support maritime safety in the Pacific through the provision of $12 million funding over the next four years for the Pacific Maritime Safety Programme (PMSP).
The programme delivers maritime safety initiatives to seven Pacific Island countries – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu. The funding, from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2026, marks the fourth phase of the programme.
PMSP4 will deliver initiatives across five outputs:
Community education and awareness
In delivering the programme, the PMSP team works with Pacific Island governments and communities to improve maritime safety through supporting changes in systems, attitudes and underlying safety culture.
PMSP Manager David Billington says these sorts of changes are likely to be generational.
The PMSP is designed to support long-term change by empowering Pacific leaders in maritime safety, by delivering education to young people and communities, and by targeting initiatives that will have long-term benefits such as regulatory reform