New Zealand Prime Minister John Key arrived at Sydney late Monday afternoon to attend a fundraising dinner which was hoped to raise 700,000 NZ dollars (565,000 U.S. dollars) for Christchurch's earthquake ravaged residents.
Diners, including the chief executives of some of Australia's biggest companies, have paid 10,000 NZ dollars (8,070 U.S. dollars) a head to attend the dinner on Monday night, which was organized by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
"It's pretty much a sign of the solidarity between both Australia and New Zealand and people around the world wanting to rebuild Christchurch," Key told reporters after landing at the Sydney Airport.
The prime minister said Christchurch residents were still doing it tough, with major aftershocks still periodically rocking the city following February's devastating earthquake which killed more than 180 people.
"I think for the people of Christchurch it's been really tough with all of those aftershocks because it saps away the moral and all the sense of wanting to regroup," Key said.
He said there remains the threat of further tremors in Christchurch, with the city going through a "settling phase".
Key flew into Sydney Monday afternoon from Canberra where he became the first New Zealand prime minister to address the federal parliament.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 20:30:33 FeedbackPrintRSS
SYDNEY, June 20 (Xinhua)
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