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An Indian Ocean tsunami relief fund to which New Zealanders gave $3.3 million will close at the end of the month - four years after the disaster.
Oxfam New Zealand said the generous donations from the public and matching grants from the Government contributed towards a total of $500 million raised internationally for the Boxing Day Tsunami relief and reconstruction projects.
Oxfam International Tsunami Fund Board chairman Barbara Stocking said the fund, which officially closes on December 31, would be a landmark for the generous and speedy response to the devastation.
"The money we received allowed us not only to help meet the immediate needs of tsunami affected populations but also to try to address the factors that made them vulnerable - not least poverty and a lack of influence over their own lives," she said.
In Indonesia, Oxfam provided 1566 permanent homes; in Sri Lanka, it helped restore the livelihoods of 170,000 people and rebuilt eight secondary schools serving 6000 students and in India, it helped to restore the livelihoods of 660,000 people.
Less than 5 per cent of money raised was spent on administration and fundraising.
