Interesting reading the most recent NZ Aid publication, Currents, which shows John Key in his trumphal tour of the Pacific Islands, mid-winter, just before any of the recent catastrophes hit.

There is useful information about just what we do fund from NZ Aid’s budget, but very little sign that the whirlwind mid-winter break actually did more than fund an enormous crew to fly aound in an Air Force Hercules being feasted and entertained.

I’m sure that the Government attitude to the report by Action Aid was very much coloured by hurt feelings that their full-colour glossy PR magazine was not taken as serious reporting by the agency …

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Bro – the odour of selfishness clings to you like that of burnt toast to the toupe of a careless breakfaster.
Go back to your Heine-hole!

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Great news, lets hope we stay bottom of this list.

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sweetdisorder

0.7% of GDP is 0.7% of GDP, regardless of where we stand in the OECD GDP rankings. We need not be miserable bunch.

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When we have budget surpluses we give tax cuts to the rich, when we have budget deficits we take money from welfare (including by not inflation proofing child tax credits) – so it is no surprise we treat our foreign aid committment (.7%GDP) with contempt.

Back in 1969 when some complained about the cost of sending man to the moon when there was the world’s poor to help, it was pointed out we had the wealth to help the world’s poor and send man to the moon, but those with the wealth chose not to do so.

The issue is will, we choose not to help those in need.

Personally I hope to find that maybe some good will come out of National’s intensity approach, if in mitigation (to our resulting Kyoto obligations falling on the taxpayer) Labour later increases our foreign aid (credits) to .7% to help them adapt to clean technology development. Perhaps if we follow the Oz line on intensity now, they can follow our lead on that later.

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Greenfly: You hit the button again, in the 1950′s and 60′s New Zealand as a farming nation had the 3rd highest living standard in the world.

Now we are importing our dairy stock feed (palm oil fodder) from Indonesia? If we were told that twenty years ago we’d laugh.

How will this be in twenty years time? Importing food from third world countries?

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sweetdisorder – wealth creation follows-on from the will to achieve – where there’s a will, there’s a way. It doesn’t follow that where there’s wealth, there’s the will to assist. It seems to me that National, the party that holds financial wealth in such high regard, is very reluctant to help, except in such a way as they are rewarded financially themselves.

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Greenfly, no matter how desirable you thoughts may be, how much food does will buy?, and water?, shelter?

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Kennedy, I am guessing from the report that donor countries are also the OECD countries, and as such, our 22nd place pretty much matches our current OECD ranking. If you want NZ to give more, than I suggest you develop policies that encourage the NZ economy to grow. The first thing needed in welfare is wealth.

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