10 March 2009

Caritas seeks openness and answers in review of NZ overseas aid 

Catholic social justice and overseas aid agency Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has asked Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully to open up his review of New Zealand’s overseas aid to public scrutiny, and to keep a strong focus on poverty elimination. In an open letter to the Minister, Caritas said a “review behind closed doors, with an unknown timeframe, and limited public comment as to its nature and purpose” did not match the party’s pre-election policy statement for a bipartisan foreign policy belonging to the public.

Caritas sought elaboration on Mr McCully’s public comments wanting aid to focus on “sustainable economic development” and what evidence he had for a current “hand-out” mentality.

Caritas said its overseas work focused on helping partners achieve independence and self-reliance and that it believed the New Zealand Government had an important role to play in eliminating poverty within the Pacific and around the world. 

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies active in over 200 countries and territories.

A copy of the full letter is repeated below.

9 March 2009

Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

Dear Mr McCully

Open letter on current reviews of NZAID

As the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development, we write to urge you to consult widely in your reviews of the delivery and purpose of New Zealand’s overseas development aid (as reported in the NZ Herald, 3/3/09, A1). We ask that you maintain a strong focus on poverty elimination, which is not incompatible with economic development.

A review behind closed doors, with an unknown timeframe, and limited public comment as to its nature and purpose is of serious concern to us. Neither does it square with your party’s pre-election policy statement for a bipartisan foreign policy that “belongs to the public” and is not driven by “perceptions of narrow domestic political advantage”.

In the absence of good and clear consultation, we seek answers and elaboration on your Government’s policy and your reported comments. We understand the Government’s desire to shift the focus of overseas aid to “economic development”, but economic development is not an end in itself, it must serve the needs of people.

What do you mean by “sustainable economic development”, espoused on your recent visit to Samoa? (Radio NZ, 11/2/09)

For us it is a means to achieving:

·         An end to poverty

·         A stable environment and fair access to resources that can provide for future generations

·         Stable and peaceful communities.

What evidence do you have that New Zealand’s overseas aid is focused on “hand-outs”? (NZ Herald, 3/3/09)

Our own work, part funded by NZAID, focuses on helping our partners achieve independence and self-reliance.  We would be happy to share with you examples of our work.

Robust and widespread consultation and careful consideration led to the creation of NZAID in 2002, and its effectiveness as a semi-autonomous unit focused on poverty reduction has been backed by two independent reviews – one by the OECD, and the other by former National MP Marilyn Waring. A similar model for overseas aid delivery through a semi-autonomous unit is also used by the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Amid speculation that the reviews will lead to the reabsorption of NZAID fully into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, we urge you to keep an open mind on the delivery and purpose of overseas aid, and consult with external development experts, the general public, and overseas partners and organisations that benefit from our aid. Your pre-election foreign affairs discussion paper said that, “A national Government will work in partnership with Pacific people to help them resolve their problems.”

Recognising how genuine development promotes peace and security, Pope Benedict XVI said at the beginning of this year that we must give “priority to the needs of the world’s poor”, and that the causes of poverty often lie in the human heart – in greed and narrow vision. Development, aid and international cooperation must attend to “the human element”, not just the technical questions of “establishing structures, setting up trade agreements and allocating funding impersonally”. The fight against poverty needs men and women able to accompany others on “journeys of authentic human development”. (Message for the World Day of Peace (1 January 2009), para 13).

We believe the New Zealand Government has an important role to play in the elimination of poverty both within the Pacific and around the world.  Our donors demonstrate this with their donations to us in the knowledge that we work in partnership with the New Zealand Government through NZAID.

We would appreciate your response to the matters raised in this letter as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely

Michael Smith

Chief Executive Officer

ends

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