Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Political parties pledge to increase overseas aid

For Immediate Release

Political parties pledge to increase overseas aid

A survey of political parties looking at how much New Zealand should spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA) shows the overwhelming majority of parties are committed to raising the bar according to the Council for International Development (CID). (See survey here.)

CID, the umbrella organisation for the majority of the organisations working in the aid sector, put five questions to the 14 parties registered (as of June 2014) for the election. Of the 11 who responded seven said they are committed to reaching the internationally agreed target of 0.7% of GNI which would more than double the present aid budget. This included National, Labour and the Greens.

"Our aid budget has been too low for too long while the problems facing those living in extreme poverty are becoming more complex with issues around climate change and political instability. This result shows most of our political parties recognise New Zealand must be a credible part of a global push to alleviate poverty as part of working towards sustainable development,” says Dr Wren Green, CID Director.

Dr Green says for the price of a takeaway coffee per week for every New Zealander our country to could double its ODA. "Increasing our aid budget to $1 billion a year would make a real difference to increasing opportunities and addressing inequality, especially in the Pacific."

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The majority of political parties signalled they would facilitate a return to a strategic partnership between government and NGOs working in development which would capitalise on the work NGOs do in close partnership with communities in developing countries. "Good, sustainable development means listening to those we are aiming to help, finding out what is needed and giving people ownership of the process,” says Dr Green.

In the answers to the CID questions, the majority of parties also agreed that a cross-party, non-partisan approach to ODA could help develop better outcomes in development.

The supporters of New Zealand NGOs working in development number in the hundreds of thousands. Dr Green says these Kiwis give generously because they believe in a better, more equal world and they expect their politicians to reflect that in their policies.

The Council for International Development is the umbrella agency for international development organisations based in Aotearoa New Zealand. CID exists to support effective high quality aid and development programmes, with the vision of achieving a sustainable world free from poverty and injustice.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.