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The New Zealand Aid Programme is the
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
's international aid and development agency. The New Zealand Aid Programme is managed by the Pacific and Development Group in the
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) (Māori: ''Manatū Aorere'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the government on foreign and trade policy, and promoting New Zealand's interests in trade and in ...
(MFAT). Previously a semi-autonomous body known as the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), it was reintegrated back into MFAT as the International Development Group following a restructure in 2009. Its
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
name is ''Nga Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti'' – the paddles that bring growth from afar.Who is NZAID?
New Zealand Agency for International Development website
The Head of the New Zealand Aid Programme is Jonathan Kings, a lawyer and public servant. According to the
OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...
, 2020
official development assistance Official development assistance (ODA) is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure aid, foreign aid. The DAC first adopted the concept in ...
from New Zealand decreased by 5.2% to US$531 million, representing 0.27% of
gross national income The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
.


History

NZAID was established in 2002 by the
Fifth Labour Government The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 10 December 1999 to 19 November 2008. Labour Party leader Helen Clark negotiated a coalition with Jim Anderton, leader of the Alliance Party. While undertaking ...
with the launching of a new overseas aid policy, "Towards a Safe and Just World Free of Poverty". The establishment of NZAID as a semi-autonomous body marked a significant shift in the management of New Zealand official development assistance (ODA). Prior to 2002, ODA had been managed by MFAT using largely non-specialist staff, policies and procedures. A Ministerial Review in 2001 found that New Zealand's management of ODA lacked a clear mission: "Management and staff are pursuing poorly defined development assistance, foreign policy and trade objectives. There is a serious confusion of purpose. At the implementing end, desk officers are uncertain and concerned about the core mission of their work." The 2001 Review found that NZ ODA lacked focus; poverty analyses on which to base decisions; systematic analysis of past performance; and systematic use of good practice in aid design and delivery. The rotational staffing system (whereby career MFAT staff were rotated through the aid management division, rather than recruited specifically for skills and experience in ODA issues) had led to the relevant area of MFAT being regarded as "both a training ground for diplomats and a dumping ground for non-performers". Basic issues of staff and document management were found wanting. The establishment of NZAID was a response to these and other problems. The Cabinet Minute (01) 28/8 which mandated the creation of NZAID "set the following major directions for New Zealand's ODA: *Elimination of poverty as the central focus of NZAID, which would need to be incorporated in a new policy framework. *Integration of the International Development Targets (IDTs) – subsequently incorporated into the
Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...
(MDGs) – within the new policy framework, and in Pacific regional strategy papers. *A complete overhaul of the NZODA policy framework that would need to be strategic, accountable and focused, based on international best practice in ODA. *Bilateral programmes to be based on country-based poverty analysis and country programme strategies. *A core focus on the Pacific should be maintained. *Development Assistance to the
Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...
,
Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...
and
Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...
should remain within the NZODA programme. *A bilateral assessment framework should consider the degree to which the ODA programme was too dispersed, and a strategic approach to funding multilateral allocations should be adopted. *A new education strategy should be developed that would give greater prominence to basic education needs and individual country circumstances. *NZODA should mainstream human rights, gender and environment throughout its operations. *A framework should be developed for determining the level of contributions to regional and multilateral institutions. *Monitoring and evaluation systems to measure the impact of New Zealand ODA should be established. *NZODA should develop 'centres of excellence' in aid delivery."


Structure

The New Zealand Aid Programme, through the Pacific and Development Group, consists of the following organisational divisions: * Deputy Secretary Office * Pacific Regional Division *Pacific Bilateral Division - Polynesia & French Pacific *Pacific Bilateral Division - Melanesia & Micronesia *Global Development & Scholarships Division * Partnerships, Humanitarian & Multilateral Division *Development Economy & Prosperity Division *Development People & Planet Division * Development Capability & Insights Division


Development approach

New Zealand aims for “a more peaceful world, in which all people live in dignity and safety, all countries can prosper and our shared environment is protected”. Through its policy for International Cooperation for Effective Sustainable Development, New Zealand progresses the social, environmental, economic, and stability and governance pillars of sustainable development. New Zealand’s ODA spending focuses on countries most in need, particularly
Small Island Developing States Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of developing countries that are small island countries which tend to share similar sustainable development challenges. These include small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, ...
and Least developed countries. New Zealand’s ODA has a primary geographic focus on the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, and a secondary geographic focus on
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. Beyond this, it achieves global reach through the multilateral system and regional programmes.


Area of operation

In 2009, Cabinet agreed to the mission statement and directed that within this the core focus be sustainable economic development. Cabinet also directed that the Pacific remain the core geographic focus and receive an increased portion of New Zealand's ODA. New Zealand’s policy for International Cooperation for Effective Sustainable Development was approved by Cabinet on 25 November 2019, confirming the New Zealand Aid Programme's primary focus on the Pacific region, in line with the Pacific Reset. It also affirms four development principles to guide development work: effectiveness, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability. They replace earlier policies on development quality, including the Cross-Cutting Issues Policy and Activity Quality Policy. A February 2021 Parliament Inquiry into New Zealand's Aid to the Pacific recommended continuing to increase ODA to the Pacific, and promoting empowerment, inclusion, and local ownership.


Controversy and criticism

In 2008, the
Office of the Controller and Auditor-General The Controller and Auditor-General (the Auditor-General) is an Officer of the New Zealand Parliament responsible for auditing public bodies. John Ryan began his seven-year term as Controller and Auditor-General on 2 July 2018. The Deputy Controll ...
and
Audit New Zealand The Controller and Auditor-General (the Auditor-General) is an Officer of the New Zealand Parliament responsible for auditing public bodies. John Ryan began his seven-year term as Controller and Auditor-General on 2 July 2018. The Deputy Controll ...
released critical reports on NZAID procedures and systems, leading to negative comments in New Zealand Parliament and critical media coverage. NZAID has responded with a programme to "strengthen internal systems and processes". NGOs in New Zealand have defended the performance of NZAID. The most significant NGO criticism of the New Zealand aid programme is that it should be larger. The
New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party ( mi, Rōpū Nāhinara o Aotearoa), shortened to National () or the Nats, is a centre-right political party in New Zealand. It is one of two major parties that dominate contemporary New Zealand politics, alongside ...
have claimed that overseas aid needs "fresh thinking" and that "Over many years and various Governments, New Zealand aid has encouraged the growth of political structures and bureaucracy that are not sustainable." and that "there is no evidence that the major problems identified in the 2005 report by Professor Marilyn Waring have been rectified." Trevor Loudon, a member of the free market liberal
ACT Party ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a Right-wing politics, right-wing, Classical liberalism, classical-liberal List of political parties in New Zealand, political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's ...
, has criticised NZAID as an organisation, and individuals within it, for having a "socialist bent" and funding organisations that are "more political than aid oriented". However, there has been noticeably less criticism of this sort in New Zealand than in Australia.


References


External links


New Zealand Aid Programme websiteNew Zealand Aid Programme's Approach to Aid2001 Ministerial Review of NZ ODASelect Committee Inquiry into New Zealand's relationships with South Pacific countries 10 December 2010NZAID Five Year Strategy Part ANZAID Five Year Strategy Part BOECD 2005 Peer Review of New Zealand's ODA programNZAID's blogAotearoa New Zealand Development Studies Network
{{authority control International development agencies Government agencies of New Zealand 2002 establishments in New Zealand