The charity Habitat for Humanity says it plans a surge in the number of houses it builds in the next six months, in the face of more severe cyclones in the region.
A newly built Habitat for Humanity home in Fiji Photo: Supplied
Its New Zealand chief executive, Claire Szabo, said it's working with the governments of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga to build 100 cyclone-resistant homes ahead of the next cyclone season.
She said with cyclones becoming more regular and severe, the charity, which normally responds to cyclones, is hoping to become more pre-emptive.
"What we've managed to do this year - for the first time on anything like this scale - is get a building project planned that gets houses up prior to cyclone season. So it's a preventative action, rather than a disaster response."