Budget Cuts Funding Promised To Pacific Communities On Frontlines Of Climate Crisis

Today’s budget has cut $100 million in funding for climate-vulnerable communities in the Pacific, delivering only half the funding needed to maintain New Zealand’s current level of climate finance and reneging on a global deal made last year to triple funding by 2030.

"The New Zealand government should be keeping their promise to boost funding for the communities facing the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Instead, our leaders have turned their backs on our Pacific neighbours by cutting this essential lifeline" said Oxfam Aotearoa’s Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry.

"New Zealand's climate finance currently supports some of the poorest communities in the Pacific and around the world to maintain their basic needs in a changing climate - things like fresh water, suitable crops, and a safe place to live.

"Today’s budget has merged the previous climate-specific funding into the aid budget and cut the total funding available by $100 million per year. This means that any support for climate-vulnerable communities will have to compete with other humanitarian and development needs, as part of a shrinking overall budget.

In March this year, Oxfam Aotearoa joined with 22 other members of the Council for International Development to call for an increase in New Zealand’s Climate Finance commitments.

Research in 2024 by Oxfam Aotearoa and World Vision New Zealand showed that New Zealand's fair share of global climate finance was at least $558 million a year, up from the existing $325 million per year. Since then, New Zealand joined with other governments at COP29 to promise a three-fold increase in climate finance by 2030.

"Today’s announcement is an international embarrassment for New Zealand. Our Government need to reconsider and fully fund the promises we have made to our Pacific neighbours suffering the impacts of climate change" said Nick Henry.

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