The Dunedin-Otaru Sister City Society is seeking offers of places in homes for families seeking respite from the present turmoil in Japan for a week or two.
Society representative Jacky Braid said the society was involved in the Sister Cities NZ initiative, which was designed to further strengthen the bonds between the two countries and provide tangible assistance to families in need.
Air New Zealand was already offering discounted air fares to disaster-struck Japanese residents looking for a safe haven to rest in after the chaos following the earthquake and tsunami.
Dunedin was a proactive community and she hoped its residents would react in the same way they had for Christchurch people after the earthquake there last month, Mrs Braid said.
People with a spare room, or rooms, should contact her. Names would be forwarded through Sister Cities NZ to the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo, which would match host families with Japanese evacuees.
Any Dunedin resident willing to participate should call Mrs Braid on 03 477-4559.
