Temporary return agreement for crisis-response

After the 2009 earthquake and tsunami, the Samoan and New Zealand Governments concluded an agreement that permitted Samoan migrants in New Zealand to return temporarily to Samoa and stay in the country for one month to support relief and recovery efforts, without losing their jobs in New Zealand. According to the affected households, this initiative provided great emotional support and contributed in facilitating ‘informal’ remittance and in-kind transfers to Samoa.