AUCKLAND -- A New Zealand naval ship will be deployed to Fiji for six months in May to help local forces patrol the 1.3 million square kilometer exclusive economic zone that has been plagued by illegal fishing and drug trafficking.
New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee and his Fiji counterpart Inoke Kubuabola reached a deal on April 6 to base HMNZS Hawea in the capital Suva to help struggling local forces.
