Two Kiwis stranded in New Caledonia have been advised there could be an evacuation flight to bring them home as early as today.
The Pacific Island has been overrun by violence for a over week amid protests against the French government's electoral reform.
The New Zealand Defence Force has been awaiting approval from French authorities before being able to deploy aircraft to begin evacuations.
New Zealanders Natalie Jones and Gloria Vetekina, who are stuck New Caledonia, told Breakfast they have been advised to have their things packed and ready to go today.
"We will know by 9am if there is a flight that's leaving, and we will be on it [as] we're on priority to get out of here," said Vetekina.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) said around 290 New Zealanders are on the island territory. It's urging those who haven't done so already to register on SafeTravel and make sure their departure date has been updated.
"The safety of New Zealanders in New Caledonia is an urgent priority for us," it said in a statement.
The airport located in the territory's capital Noumea has been closed for days and international flights are grounded after massive riots and armed clashes erupted between indigenous Kanak pro-independence protesters and armed forces in the city.
"If this going to go ahead, obviously pending the French government to give us authorisation and pathway into the actual airport, which is actually what we need is just to be able to get to the airport," said Vetekina.
She said they got in touch with MFAT "straightaway" on May 14 and said they've been in touch "every second day".
"They've been really looking after us and really caring for us and keeping us informed with what's happening."
Vetekina said some parts of the process has been frustrating.
"We're trying to figure out how to get through this, to make sure we get home to our whānau. How do we make sure we get home safely to our husbands? Our parents? Our tamariki?"
She said they were staying in the tourist area of Nouméa's Lemon Bay on the waterfront in the "safest place we could possibly be."
"We can hear the rumblings, we can see the military presence, we knew once we'd landed as soon as we left the airport when we saw a Kanak gentleman waving a flag so we knew something that was going on. But before we left we had no idea what was going on."
PM responds: 'We're ready from our end'
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Breakfast this morning that the NZDF haven't left to evacuate Kiwis from the archipelago yet.
"We are seriously concerned about the situation in New Caledonia," he said.
"Latest numbers, we have almost 290 New Zealanders that have signed up through SafeTravel.
"We have all the plans ready to go, the NZDF assets are ready to go.
"What we are waiting for is permission from the French authorities in Paris and also in Nouméa to say that it is actually deemed safe for us to be able to take those flights."
Asked if the evacuation would be today, the Prime Minister said there had been a "series of conversations" overnight, including a 2am phone call "with the French".
"They've got to make sure that the road is safe from the hotels to the airport."
There have also been "security issues" at the airport itself, he added.
"We're ready from our end, very quickly, to move fast. We'd love that to be today."
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