New Zealand contributes $500K humanitarian funding to the Venezuela crisis

New Zealand will provide $500,000 in humanitarian assistance to support Venezuelan citizens fleeing to neighbouring countries amid political unrest.

"New Zealand is concerned for the people of Venezuela and the deteriorating situation they face," foreign affairs minister Winston Peters said today. "More than three million Venezuelans have fled to neighbouring countries, putting a major strain on the region."

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in April last year after the government-stacked Supreme Court issued a ruling that stripped the opposition-controlled congress of its last powers.

Although the court quickly reversed course under a barrage of international criticism, near-daily protests swelled into a general airing of grievances against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government over Venezuela's high crime, sky-high inflation and shortages of food and medicine.

More than 5,000 protesters detained were beaten , sexually assaulted or given electrical shocks in what the Human Rights Watch described in a report as a level of repression "unseen in Venezuela in recent memory."

New Zealand will provide $500,000 in humanitarian assistance to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to provide shelter and access to basic services for refugees and migrants.

The funding is in addition to the $145,000 New Zealand provided to support healthcare facilities, equipment and medical care for Venezuelans in Colombia and Brazil last year through the World Health Organization and the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

Earlier in the month, more than a dozen European Union countries endorsed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president , piling the pressure on embattled President Nicolas Maduro to resign and clear the way for a new presidential election.

"New Zealand has registered our objection to the human rights abuses being perpetrated by the Maduro administration," Mr Peters said. "The people of Venezuela are asking for change. We support the efforts of all Venezuelans who are seeking to hold free and fair elections and call on Nicolás Maduro to respect the will of the people."