31 Mar 2014

Foreign Minister says not perfect in Fiji but more constructive to drop bans

4:51 pm on 31 March 2014

New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, says that while all is not perfect in Fiji, he says the Government believes it's more constructive to provide assistance, as Fiji prepares for the September election.

Mr McCully says the Government wants to recognise the progress that's been made towards free and fair elections.

No-one is pretending the position in Fiji is perfect. I think it' a significant step forward if we have got an election date established, a framework for elections, political parties registered. The question is how do we best re-inforce that progress and that's the judgment we've made."

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully.

Wellington has also lifted all restrictions on government departments working directly with their counterparts in Fiji.