Murray McCully

Ten New Zealand engineers will join relief efforts in the Indonesian city of Padang in western Sumatra, following last week's devastating earthquake," Foreign Minister Murray McCully said today.

"The engineers will assess the structural integrity of collapsed and damaged buildings, as concerns over the safety of many buildings are hampering recovery efforts," Mr McCully said.

"They will advise which buildings should be demolished and how, and put an agreed demolition plan in place.

"The engineers are volunteering their time for free. The government's aid agency, NZAID, is paying for flights, food and accommodation costs for six engineers, with the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineers meeting costs for the other four.

"It is a excellent example of public and private sectors taking an NZ Inc approach in responding to an urgent humanitarian need.

"New Zealand and Indonesia have developed a close relationship on earthquake engineering in recent years, with New Zealand providing technical assistance following the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006; the Nias earthquake in 2005, and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004," Mr McCully said.

The engineers were requested by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is leading recovery work.