The New Zealand government is to support NZ Cricket's tsunami fundraising efforts by sponsoring runs scored during the national team Black Caps' three-match series against a World XI, Foreign Minister Phil Goff announced Friday.
Goff said in a statement that the government welcome the efforts of New Zealand Cricket, and the cricketing community, to raise funds for tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.
"To get the ball rolling, we are very pleased to announce that we will sponsor each match at the rate of 20 NZ dollars per run scored, 1000 NZ dollars for every four and 5000 NZ dollars for every six hit," Goff said.
"On that basis we expect to contribute, through the government' s aid agency NZAID, around a third of US$a million to humanitarian and relief work for tsunami victims in Sri Lanka via the New Zealand Cricket Tsunami Relief Fund," he said.
The money raised will go towards World Vision's relief work in Sri Lanka, and to Cricket Aid -- the Sri Lankan Cricket Board's initiative to help their own people.
Goff said while much attention has been focused closer to home on Thailand and Aceh in Indonesia, New Zealand was also very mindful of the devastating impact of the tsunami on Sri Lanka, where more than 30,000 people died and tens of thousands have lost their homes.
New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive Martin Snedden welcomed the government's support for the series.
"It's a fantastic offer and greatly appreciated. This series is a chance for all New Zealanders to contribute to the relief effort in Sri Lanka, and we are hopeful more companies will come on board by giving both teams something to aim at," he said.
The series beings in Christchurch on Saturday, January 22, and continues in Wellington on January 24 and Hamilton on January 26.