New Zealand's foreign minister said in a statement on Tuesday that the government had chartered a repatriation flight that is due to leave "shortly". "New Zealanders in New Caledonia have been through a difficult time and their return has been a high priority for the government" since violence erupted in the French territory in the South Pacific, Winston Peters said. The New Zealand foreign minister said the flight, the first since Noumea's international airport was closed on Tuesday, would bring "up to 50 passengers" with the most urgent needs to Auckland in the country's north. It is the first of a "series of planned flights to begin the repatriation of New Zealanders", Peters said. "We are working with France and Australia to arrange further flights in the coming days," the ministry said, acknowledging the support of French authorities in Paris and Noumea. Australia also announced Tuesday it had been granted permission to send two flights to repatriate its citizens. The flights are being "chartered by the Australian government to allow Australian tourists and others to depart New Caledonia," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement. Noumea's La Tontouta international airport will remain closed to commercial flights until at least 9:00 am (2300 GMT) on Thursday, the head of New Caledonia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Charles Roger, said Monday. The territory has been gripped by its worst unrest in decades over the past week in reaction to a reform of the electoral roll that pro-independence groups say is unfair. The crisis began when a new bill was introduced in Paris that would allow French residents who have lived in the territory for at least a decade to vote in local elections. Local politicians, including pro-independence leaders, fear the move will dilute the power of the indigenous Kanak people. The ensuing unrest has left at least six people dead, including two police officers, and hundreds injured, according to authorities. The French state's representative in New Caledonia, Louis Le Franc, said Monday that around 270 people had been arrested since the violence began. Read Also: Nova Zelândia preocupada com influência da China na segurança do Pacífico (Portuguese version)