MEDIA RELEASE
10 November 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Red Cross Head To Thank New Zealanders

American Red Cross CEO/President Jack McGuire is to personally give his thanks to the New Zealanders who offered their support during Hurricane Katrina at a conference in Christchurch this weekend.

Mr McGuire says that he was touched by the support the American Red Cross received from the New Zealand public.

"Kiwis have a history of helping the American Red Cross to help our people. Following the devastation of both September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, New Zealanders were very generous in their expressions of support for those affected by these tragedies," Mr McGuire says.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the New Zealand public donated $170,000 to help the American Red Cross provide food, water, shelter and other support to those affected by the disaster. The New Zealand government provided a further $2 million.

Mr McGuire will be speaking about disaster preparedness and Hurricane Katrina as part of the New Zealand Red Cross National Council and Conference, which takes place this Saturday.

Acting Director General Graham Wrigley says that Christchurch is a fitting venue, given that Canterbury has also recently suffered from extreme weather conditions.

"Having seen the importance of our own disaster preparedness in Canterbury during the heavy snow, it will be interesting to also hear of the results that disaster preparedness can have on a much larger scale," Mr Wrigley says.

The National Council in Christchurch is part of the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of New Zealand Red Cross, and will also feature an honours and awards dinner, and a ball.

"This weekend will be a fantastic time to celebrate the efforts of all those New Zealanders who have been helping the Red Cross to help others for more than 75 years," Mr Wrigley says.

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