Samoa & Tonga's PMs attend NZ tsunami service

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Updated November 9, 2009 18:02:07

New Zealand has hosted a major church service in memory of those who died in the September tsunami. The tsunami claimed nearly 200 lives, most of them in Samoa, with nine killed in Tonga. The wave also took the lives of New Zealanders on holiday on Samoa's Upolu Island's South Coast. That, plus New Zealand's huge expatriate Pacific island population, means the tragedy has had a major impact. Sunday's church service was intended to provide some closure for those affected by it. While Samoan and Tongan community leaders are pleased the service went ahead, they are also disappointed more of their people were not able to take part.

Presenter: Pacific Correspondent Campbell Cooney
Speakers: New Zealand Samoan community leader Peter Skelton; Melino Maka, Chairman of New Zealand's Tongan Advisory Council

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