Defence Minister Wayne Mapp and his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith held their annual meeting in Wellington on 10 February.

The Ministers acknowledged the importance of our close and enduring defence relationship, based on a common history, a shared strategic outlook, and sticking together in troubled times. This was especially evident in the offers of assistance following the multiple disasters that have recently affected our countries: Tropical Cyclone Yasi, the Queensland floods, the Pike River coal mine disaster, and the Canterbury earthquake.

The New Zealand Government has decided to donate NZ$4 million to assist people affected by the devastating floods in Australia, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced today.

"Australians are our closest friends and neighbours and we have a history of reciprocal support during natural disasters. We want to help them as much as we can in their time of need,” says Mr McCully.

The Australian Federal Government has announced assistance measures for those affected by flooding in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.

The Australian Government has agreed to provide ex-gratia assistance to New Zealand non-protected Special Category Visa holders (subclass 444) residing in Australia who can provide evidence they have been working in Australia in the past three years and who have been affected by the recent flooding events in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

On 4 January Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced that New Zealand will send a Civil Defence emergency response team to Queensland to assist Australia in its response to the devastating floods.

The deployment comes after a phone conversation between the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers.

"Australia has always been ready to help when New Zealand is in need, as we saw most recently during the Pike River disaster," Minister McCully said.