The New Zealand Aid Programme / Ngā Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti

4 YEAR IN REVIEW

Pacific Focus Global Reach

Pacific Focus, Global Reach© New Zealand Ministry of

Foreign Affairs and Trade 2015

ISBN 978-0-477-10242-1

For copies of this publication, please email publications@mfat.govt.nz

For more information about the New Zealand

Aid Programme, see www.aid.govt.nz

Dollar amounts in this publication are in New Zealand

dollars unless otherwise stated.

Photos copyright of New Zealand Ministry of Foreign

Affairs and Trade unless otherwise stated.

Cover image: Children at Palikula Bay, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu.

Photo: Vanuatu Tourism Office / David Kirkland

Pacific Focus Global ReachThe New Zealand Aid ProgrammeNgā Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti

4 YEAR IN REVIEW

The New Zealand Aid Programme is the New Zealand Government’s international aid and development programme managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Contents3 Foreword

6 New Zealand’s development assistance

8 JANUARY

9 In focus: New Zealand Scholarships – Supporting future leaders

10 FEBRUARY

11 In focus: The Partnerships Fund

12 MARCH

13 In focus: Education in the Pacific

14 APRIL

16 In focus: Red Cross aid workers

17 In focus: Renewable energy

20 MAY

21 In focus: Africa

22 In focus: Global reach through international agencies

24 JUNE

26 In focus: Addressing preventable blindness in the Pacific

27 In focus: Latin America and the Caribbean

28 JULY

29 In focus: New Zealand’s seasonal labour initiative

30 In focus: Developing the ‘Blue Economy’

32 AUGUST

33 In focus: Myanmar

34 SEPTEMBER

35 In focus: Small Island Developing States conference

36 OCTOBER

37 In focus: International Development Policy

38 NOVEMBER

39 In focus: Non-communicable diseases in the Pacific

40 In focus: Preventing domestic violence in the Pacific

41 In focus: Volunteer Service Abroad – Kiwis making a difference

42 DECEMBER

44 In focus: Indian Ocean Tsunami – 10 years on

1

2

Foreword

Progress in the Pacific

Targeting prosperity

In 2014 the Pacific experienced relatively good economic growth. The overall prosperity and human development indexes for Pacific countries, on average, tracked in the right direction. New Zealand’s support for creating prosperity and sustainable economic development contributed to this.

We worked with the Pacific to manage the region’s fishery, with investments in science, management of fish stocks, and sustainable economic development initiatives.

We invested in major infrastructure initiatives, including the start of the inter-island shipping investment in Vanuatu, investment in cool store capacity for fresh produce and a major market redevelopment in Papua New Guinea, and the reclamation of the ‘borrow pits’ in Tuvalu – an initiative that will transform Funa’futi atoll. We completed the Western Province infrastructure package in Solomon Islands.

The recognised seasonal employer (RSE) scheme and the country-led economic policy reform through budget support operations in Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga meant New Zealand directly contributed to greater Pacific prosperity.

Reducing hardship and vulnerability

We also targeted hardship and vulnerability in the Pacific, with initiatives on non-communicable diseases, water and sanitation, domestic violence and community-based income generation. We continued to achieve our objective of more girls attending school in Solomon Islands, made gains in literacy and numeracy rates in the region, and delivered safer water and improved sanitation in the Cook Islands. We commenced a major social housing investment in Kiribati.

Tēnā koutou

2014 was a year of exceptional delivery and results for the New Zealand Aid Programme. We strengthened our ‘Pacific focus, global reach’ approach, aligned with drawing on the best of New Zealand to find development solutions. The upfront investment in planning and design over the past few years delivered results.

3

Responding to emergenciesNew Zealand responded to three major natural disasters across the Pacific – Tropical Cyclone Ian in Tonga, Tropical Cyclone Lusi in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands floods – although we activated our systems on several occasions, including pre-deploying to the Philippines for Typhoon Hagupit in December, which fortunately turned out to be far less severe than predicted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade continued to lead the New Zealand Government’s responses to natural disasters. New Zealand played its part in alleviating global suffering and saving lives through humanitarian responses in countries including Syria, Central Africa Republic, Jordan, Lebanon, and South Sudan.

International engagementLeadership and advocacy for small island states issues was a highlight of our international engagement in 2014. In September, New Zealand supported Samoa to deliver a world class United Nations (UN) conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). We co-chaired the UN negotiations on the SAMOA Pathway (the SIDS outcome document), which has firmly established the political commitment to SIDS issues over the next decade.

In October, New Zealand succeeded in being elected to the UN Security Council for the 2015-16 term. New Zealand’s reputation for managing and delivering effective and focused development cooperation was a component of that success.

Renewable energySustainable energy continued to be our flagship investment. New Zealand completed the 2.3MW solar array farm in Samoa – the largest in the Pacific – and the West array initiative in the Cook Islands. Multiple investments began in Tuvalu and Northern Cook Islands, which will see atolls almost completely free of their reliance on fossil fuels by the end of 2015. The Tonga Ma’ama Mai investment completed in 2013 is exceeding projections, meeting around 4 percent of Tonga’s energy demand.

We also supported Caribbean countries to explore geothermal resources for cheaper, more sustainable and reliable energy. We are providing technical assistance to St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In Africa, New Zealand has provided technical assistance to the Union of the Comoros to advance the exploration of its geothermal resource. In Afghanistan we also completed construction of a 1MW off-grid solar array and transmission system in Bamyan. This will provide power to up to 2,500 households and is the largest solar array in the country.

KEY THEMES

Improve economic well-being

Working in partnership

Improve human development outcomes

Improve resilience and recovery from emergencies

Improve governance, security and conditions for peace

4

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed, complemented, and partnered with New Zealand’s development effort over the past year. This 2014 Review outlines an aid portfolio that demonstrates how working together can achieve results for which New Zealand and New Zealanders can be proud.

Nga mihi

PartnershipsBuilding enduring partnerships is at the centre of our development effort.

We did not achieve these results only through partnering with country governments, other development partners and donors, multilateral agencies and civil society.

We also drew on the strengths and agility of a wide range of New Zealand individuals, organisations and companies to introduce fresh thinking and bring about development solutions. We drew on Kiwi expertise in areas such as agriculture, sustainable tourism, and renewable energy. We increased our engagement with the private sector, establishing several innovative new partnerships, including with Fonterra to bring dairy excellence to targeted developing countries. The New Zealand Aid Programme had contracts with more than 80 New Zealand companies to deliver development solutions across the Pacific, Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

We also maintained and extended important partnerships with New Zealand government agencies. Joint initiatives with non-government organisations (NGOs) continued to flourish through the Partnerships Fund for International Development, through which we supported 32 NGO partnerships. Through Volunteer Service Abroad, we supported 184 volunteer assignments.

Supporting future leadersSome 480 international scholars achieved a formal qualification under the New Zealand Scholarships for Development initiative in 2014. A further 594 new scholars began study in New Zealand, ASEAN and the Pacific region on New Zealand Scholarships. We expanded scholarship eligibility to several new countries and continued to improve our scholarships programme to ensure we are attracting students who will make a real difference to their countries’ futures.

Jonathan KingsActing Deputy Secretary for International Development

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Our geographic focus is the Pacific. This is New Zealand’s neighbourhood‚ and is where we have a strong foundation of partnerships‚ cultural and historical links‚ and knowledge.

We also provide support to Asia‚ Africa‚ Latin America and the Caribbean. We seek to apply New Zealand’s areas of knowledge and expertise in targeted support in these regions.

New Zealand’s development assistance

Notes: Country figures on this map are total country flow, and include the amounts flowing to the country through the bilateral

development programme and other programmes, for example Scholarships and Partnerships.

The Mekong Programme was a new programme in 2012/13 and includes Cambodia, Laos PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam.

ASEAN = the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

* 2013/14 is the second year

of a three-year multi-year

appropriation.

14.6

25.5

13.7

9.1

17.512.4

14.420.8

23.6

30.9

23.235.223.6

2.7

Cook Islands

Samoa

NiueTonga

Kiribati

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Solomon Islands

Nauru

Papua New Guinea

Fiji

Tokelau

Pacific Economic Development

ASEAN

Pacific Human Development

Mekong

Afghanistan

Indonesia Timor-Leste

Africa Regional

Latin America and Caribbean

Regional

Country ($m)

Region ($m)

5.2

Africa 2%

Multilateral/ Global

Asia

Americas 1%Middle East 1%

Pacific$532.8m

Development assistance

2013/14*

15%61%

20%

MultilateralWe invest in the multilateral development

systems including international financial

institutions, United Nations (UN) agencies

and Commonwealth agencies, to contribute

to global development outcomes.

PartnershipsThe New Zealand Aid Programme

has long-term partnerships

with a number of New Zealand

organisations. We also provide a

contestable fund for state sector,

private sector, and non-government

organisations to contribute to

positive development outcomes.

HumanitarianThe Ministry of Foreign

Affairs and Trade leads the

New Zealand humanitarian

response to emergencies

around the world.

Scholarships We invest in the development of people

who will influence positive change in

their developing country.

Bilateral We work closely with partner

governments on development priorities.

Regional We invest in region-wide

development initiatives.

Other 1.5

Our programmes

2013/14 ($m)

222.9

102.4

96.846.4

20.6

42.2

16.88.7

21.0 25.6

5.9

2.4

6 7

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

Cyclone Ian response and recovery – Tonga

Early in 2014, Cyclone Ian formed in the Pacific,

eventually developing into a severe category five

cyclone with winds up to 287km/h. On 10 January,

it reached Tonga. The Ha’apai island group was

the worst affected area, with houses flattened and

essential infrastructure damaged.

New Zealand’s response included providing

emergency shelter, water and essentials in the

immediate aftermath. We also provided supplies

and technicians to help repair the electricity

network, which was almost completely destroyed.

New Zealand’s contribution to the cyclone

response was $2.27 million.

Food security partnership with Ethiopia New Zealand and Ethiopia signed a government-

to-government Food Security Cooperation

Arrangement. It aims to improve food security in

Ethiopia by drawing on New Zealand agricultural

and food safety expertise. The partnership will

strengthen opportunities for sharing knowledge,

training, and links between educational

organisations in the two countries.

January Renewable energy partnership

with UAE

New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

signed a partnership agreement that will see the

two Governments cooperate on renewable energy

projects, primarily in the Pacific. The partnership

arose as a result of the Pacific Energy Summit held

in Auckland in March 2013, hosted by New Zealand

and the European Union.

Support for Syrian refugees

New Zealand provided $5 million to support

UNICEF in Jordan and Lebanon in providing

critical education and health services to some of

the millions of children affected by the conflict in

Syria. It brought New Zealand’s total humanitarian

contributions to the Syrian crisis to $12.5 million.

Above Syrian refugee children at a tented school in Faida 3 camp, an informal tented settlement in Lebanon.

Above and right NZDF deliver

emergency supplies to Tonga.

Left A worker from SAWA, a UNICEF partner, gathers information about a Syrian refugee family in Lebanon.

Photos: UNICEF

8

Each year, New Zealand offers more than 700 scholarships to citizens of developing countries.

The majority of these scholarships are targeted to the Pacific and Asia, but there are also students from the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America.

The awards focus on priority sectors relating to sustainable economic development, and include study programmes at vocational, under-graduate, masters and PhD level in agriculture, disaster risk management, governance and public policy, education, health, tourism, business, infrastructure and renewable energy.

Quirmado Pinto Timor-Leste Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science),

Waikato University, Hamilton, 2013

Theresa Penn SamoaBachelor of Commerce and Administration (Commercial Law

and Human Resource Management / Industrial Relations), Victoria University of Wellington, 2008

“The scholarship allowed me to secure a qualification that facilitated my entry into the formal workforce. Shortly after my graduation in 2008, I was offered a job as a policy analyst in the policy and legal advisory Division at the Office of the Public Service Commission in Samoa. Given my interest in

working closely with stakeholders beyond the Public Service, I applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2009

where I am currently a Senior Foreign Service Officer for Trade. My job includes evaluating policies that assist the temporary

employment of Samoa nationals abroad. It also involves identifying measures that support the development and

export of Samoan-made products. In 2013, I took up a 10-month work internship with the World Trade Organisation

Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland – an experience I could not have been better prepared for with my scholarship experience, plus the knowledge and skills of four years

as a civil servant.”

“Studying environmental science in a country famous for being clean and green and for having one of the best

environmental management sectors in the world has equipped me well for my career. Since my return to Timor-Leste,

I have been involved in managing Health, Safety and Environment for the National Petroleum Authority of Timor-Leste and I am currently working in the Social and

Environmental Development Team in the Rural Road Master Plan Project, which records the attributes and functions of Timor-Leste’s rural road network.”

New Zealand Scholarships – Supporting future leaders

New Zealand Scholarships are a vital part of our support to developing countries. We focus on supporting individuals who have demonstrated success in their academic and/or professional life, and have the potential to go further if given the opportunity. The scholarship is the first step of the journey. We invest in people who will be future leaders and influence ongoing positive change and development in their home countries.

PRO

FILE

SSC

HO

LAR

Scholarships each year:

700

1,515 Scholars on award in 2014:

Studying at NZ tertiary institutions 1,239

Studying at Pacific tertiary institutions 194

Completing vocational and professional development studies in NZ through Short Term Training Awards 82

9

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

Pacific statistical capability

Reliable, timely statistics are essential for tracking

social and economic change. They help governments,

businesses and communities to make informed

decisions and improve planning. Through

New Zealand Aid Programme funding and

technical assistance from Statistics New Zealand,

New Zealand is supporting the implementation

of the Ten Year Pacific Statistics Strategy.

The strategy’s first phase started in 2011. It focused

on an increase in the regularity, timeliness and

quality of statistics across the region. The next phase

will focus on completing the implementation of

region-wide statistical systems and tools, advancing

policy agency relationships and widening the range

of countries with economic accounts focused on

timely GDP estimates.

In line with the Ten Year Pacific Statistics Strategy,

four statisticians from Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu and

Nauru spent a month in Wellington at Statistics

New Zealand to grow their statistical knowledge

and capability. Following this, in March, a workshop

held in Wellington attended by representatives from

across the Pacific, was focused on strengthening

regional leadership, governance and coordination

of statistics in the Pacific.

Te Mato Vai water project in the Cook Islands

Construction started on Te Mato Vai, a project to

upgrade the water network of the Cook Islands’

main island, Rarotonga. Te Mato Vai is an

innovative collaboration between the Governments

of New Zealand, China, and the Cook Islands.

New Zealand has committed up to $15 million to

the project.

Te Mato Vai includes the upgrade of intakes,

storage, treatment, distribution mains, and water

conservation initiatives. New Zealand’s funding

will also contribute to building the capacity to

effectively operate and maintain the network for

years to come.

Clean, reliable water supply will improve the

day-to-day life for residents and businesses, and

the experience of tourists. Tourism is a major

source of income for the island, and tourists

leaving with a positive impression is central to

the tourism sector’s success and ongoing growth.

Water pipeline replacement in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

February

10

The New Zealand Partnerships for International Development Fund supports New Zealand organisations in their work with local partners in developing countries to generate ongoing development benefits. The contestable fund is open to public sector, private sector and non-government organisations.

The Partnerships Fund

Traditional skills making a difference in Kenya

A New Zealand Partnership Fund project has transformed a Kenyan community’s dying crafts into a lucrative money-maker. The craft initiative, known as MaKa Emali, is part of a partnership between the New Zealand Aid Programme, ChildFund NZ and ChildFund Kenya.

There are 88 women from the Maasai and Kamba communities from the Emali region involved. They create handwoven baskets and jewellery – both traditional and inspired by traditional design – for high-end markets in Kenya, and as far afield as the Iko Iko gift store chain here in New Zealand.

A technical adviser from New Zealand made three visits to the region in 2013 to help the women to develop the initiative. She provided assistance and advice on assessing product and market potential, developing products and preparing marketing samples, targeting outlets and building relationships with stakeholders, and more general business management advice.

By the end of the first year, orders for products totalled around $15,000. The initiative highlights the positive role that cultural traditions can have in economic development projects. ChildFund NZ reports that the positive response to the crafts has reignited interest in these traditional goods within

the local community.

Maka Emali is part of a wider project that aims to increase community resilience in the drought-affected

Emali region. Activities include improving water access and disaster preparedness to protect livestock and crops, introducing nutrition schemes in schools and improving nutrition at home for children, and diversifying income among women, including savings and loans schemes, and the craft initiative.

The project receives $655,000 from the New Zealand Aid Programme.

EXAMPLE PROJECT

ChildFund NZ reports that the positive response to the crafts has reignited

local interest in these traditional goods within the local community.

MaKa Emali.

Photos: ChildFund

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

Residents of Tacloban, Philippines, in the aftermath of Cyclone Haiyan.

Photo: UN / Evan Schneider

Agricultural programmes

in Rwanda and Ethiopia are

helping to increase agricultural

incomes and reduce malnutrition.

Fish cages as part of livelihood recovery in the Philippines, in partnership with the FAO.

Minister Kaye’s trip to the Philippines.

Nutrition and agriculture support in Africa

New Zealand began a partnership with the Clinton

Health Access Initiative (CHAI), UK Aid, the

World Food Programme, International Finance

Corporation, the Governments of Rwanda and

Ethiopia and private sector organisations to

support the Governments of Rwanda and Ethiopia

in reducing the incidence of chronic malnutrition

among children under five and improving the

nutrition of pregnant and lactating women in

Rwanda an Ethiopia.

This will be achieved by distributing a locally

produced fortified complementary food.

The production and supply of the crops for

the complementary food will create income

opportunities for small holder farmers.

New Zealand is supporting the agricultural

component by improving access to finance,

and helping the farmers to improve production

methods and post-harvest systems. This will

increase yields of the farms that will supply

the factory, increasing agricultural incomes by

an estimated US$299 (Rwanda) and US$168

(Ethiopia) per farmer over the next four years.

Supporting Philippines farmers to recover from typhoon

New Zealand announced during Civil Defence

Minister Nikki Kaye’s visit to the Philippines that

it would provide $2.5 million to the UN Food

and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to help

farmers recover from Typhoon Haiyan.

Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November

2013, was one of the most devastating storms

in recent history, with an estimated six million

people’s livelihoods destroyed, lost or disrupted.

The FAO programme will focus on rice and corn

crops, coconuts, forestry, and livestock and fisheries

restoration. Seeds, tools and livestock will be

distributed, and farmers will be trained in agricultural

techniques. The aim is, over time, to increase

agricultural production, secure and diversify food

sources, improve technical farming knowledge,

and establish a pre-emergency level of income for

affected households. New Zealand’s contribution will

help restore the livelihoods of 128,000 vulnerable

households in rural areas affected by the typhoon.

This support is in addition to the $7.5 million

New Zealand contributed to the emergency

response and relief effort in the immediate

aftermath of the typhoon.

March

New Zealand’s contribution will help restore the livelihoods of

128,000 vulnerable households in rural areas affected by the typhoon.

12

Above Secondary school students, Samoa.

Above Early childhood education,

Timor-Leste.

Middle Primary school students, Solomon Islands.

In the Cook Islands, Tonga and Solomon Islands we began a $6.7 million Pacific Literacy and School Leadership programme to sustainably improve the teaching of literacy through a concerted approach to policy, leadership and classroom practice. Over the next three years, the programme will reach up to 4,000 children in the three countries, and 180 teachers and 45 principals in 45 schools, with resource materials and 31,000 reading books.

In Samoa, support for fees grants in primary and secondary schools has seen schools able to use the funds to buy classroom resources, and to develop teachers’ capabilities, while at the same time making sure the cost of fees is not a barrier to attending school.

In Vanuatu, a number of initiatives focused on improving the quality of teaching. These included around 700 Year 1-3 teachers trained in teaching methodologies, workshops on new curriculum held for 423 primary schools, teacher guides and teacher standards developed, and 500 literacy kits and 500 numeracy kits distributed to primary schools.

Positive student results were seen in the Cook Islands. Progress in improving primary literacy and numeracy was well above targets, with 76 percent now achieving at or above the required standard in numeracy, 65 percent in Cook Island Māori, and 69 percent in English at Year 4. For older students, the awards of NCEA with

Merit and Excellence Certificate endorsements increased from 21 in 2012 to 52 in 2013, with 10 percent of individual subject results achieved with merit and 4.5 percent with excellence.

NZQA supported the Tongan and Samoan qualifications authorities in setting up their respective qualification frameworks, and accrediting the providing institutions.

Manukau Institute of Technology introduced a vocational taster course in secondary schools in Samoa and Tonga so students could see practical opportunities in education. In Tonga, this has seen several secondary schools start delivering skills training in hospitality and trades such as plumbing and construction.

In Tokelau, each school now has a long-term resident education adviser supported by Massey University, in response to the Education Review Authority’s 2013 review.

In Timor-Leste, we began support to early childhood education in 2014. To date we have supported the Ministry of Education in the roll-out of training on its new early childhood education curriculum, which focuses on child-centred, play-based teaching techniques. We also worked with UNICEF to develop alternative early childhood education models that will reach young children in remote rural communities that otherwise have no access to early childhood education.

Supporting countries in implementing their national education plans is at the heart of New Zealand’s investment in education in the Pacific.

There is a focus on improving the quality of education, with a strong emphasis on increasing literacy levels in primary schools. We also support initiatives created by New Zealand organisations, and a limited range of multi-country projects. The following are a selection of recent education activities and achievements New Zealand has supported:

Education in the Pacific

13

Unloading supplies at Honiara

airport to repair infrastructure

following the floods.

A welcome party at Cassidy Airport, Kiritimati Island.

Repairing infrastructure in Solomon Islands

following the floods.

Solomon Islands flood response

In early April, Cyclone Ita brought massive rainfall

and severe flooding to Solomon Islands. The

capital, Honiara, was badly affected. Twenty-two

people lost their lives; housing was destroyed,

forcing thousands of people into evacuation

centres; and major infrastructure was damaged.

New Zealand support of $2.6 million included

emergency supplies, with the New Zealand Defence

Force making two flights to Honiara. New Zealand

sent medical personnel and supplies to assist the

local health services, which were overwhelmed in

the days following the flooding. A Bailey bridge –

a portable, prefabricated steel bridge – was also

provided to restore a major access point that

linked parts of the capital and had been destroyed

by floodwaters.

Aviation for tourism development in Kiribati

Kiritimati Island, Kiribati, has great potential as

a tourist destination, with pristine water the ideal

setting for recreational activities. Sustainably

managed tourism has the potential to provide

valuable ongoing income to residents on the remote

island, but development of a fully-fledged tourism

industry is constrained by limited air services.

New Zealand has

agreed to invest

an estimated

$6.25 million to

help develop the

infrastructure at Cassidy Airport in Kiritimati,

including the construction of an emergency

services building and control tower, and the

provision of navigational aids and communications

equipment. These will enable the airport to meet

minimum aviation safety requirements so in the

future it can develop critical air connections.

This is in addition to the $17.6 million already

completed project to reseal the runway.

April

“ Sustainably managed tourism has the potential to provide valuable ongoing income...”

14

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

Gordon’s Market, Port Moresby.

European Union Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs (right), Tuvalu Deputy Prime Minister Vete Sakaio (centre), and New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully (left) sign a Tuvalu Energy Declaration for Outer Islands.

Upgrade of Gordon’s Market‚ PNG

Gordon’s Market in Port Moresby, Papua New

Guinea (PNG), is the largest produce market in

the Pacific. It is a vital part of the fresh produce

supply chain in PNG, but a lack of facilities, poor

drainage and water supply, plus security, are

limiting returns to stall holders and producers.

New Zealand is contributing up to $7 million

to upgrade the market and address these issues.

The funding will contribute to civil infrastructure

works, a new drainage system, new retail market

facilities and a dedicated wholesale site.

The market redevelopment is part of New Zealand’s

overall support for agricultural development in

PNG. At the moment, PNG imports a large amount

of fresh produce. The aim is to improve the supply

chain, including Gordon’s Market, to give farmers

more confidence to expand their operations and

encourage more consumers to choose locally

grown produce.

Other areas of support include working with

leading agricultural distributors in PNG to develop

and manage a system of cold storage facilities and

improve the transport of fresh produce.

Pacific Energy Mission with EU

Following the 2013 Pacific Energy Summit,

co-hosts European Union (EU) and New Zealand

formed the Energy Access Partnership to fund

renewable energy projects in the Pacific. In April

2014, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully

and the European Commissioner for Development,

Andris Piebalgs, visited Samoa, Tuvalu, Kiribati,

and Cook Islands. It was an opportunity to see the

progress on initiatives commissioned under the

partnership, and to meet with Pacific governments

and organisations to discuss opportunities for

further cooperation. Representatives from the

World Bank, the ADB, and the International

Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) also joined

the mission to gain further insight into the

potential for sustainable energy across the Pacific.

NZ support to re-establish Fiji Parliament

New Zealand provided $1.5 million towards a

project led by the UN Development Programme

aimed at re-establishing and strengthening Fiji’s

Parliament. The two-stage project will focus

on practical support for items like information

technology and Hansard equipment, and building

knowledge among new MPs and parliamentary staff.

15

“ ...you Kiwis are everywhere is a common expression.”

Typhoon Haiyan hitting the Philippines in November 2013 triggered one of the largest single event deployments in New Zealand Red Cross history. In the five months following the cyclone, it sent 13 aid workers across diverse sectors, ranging from IT and telecommunications specialists to recovery, security, relief, shelter, logistics, and monitoring and evaluation experts.

In 2013/14, 24 placements were for health and medical workers. Placements included training first aid trainers in the Pacific, hospital project management and mobile surgical units in South Sudan, community health workers in Syria. In the second half of 2014, 18 nurses joined the Ebola response in Africa.

The nature of what they are doing means that aid workers are inevitably confronted with challenging situations. These can include the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster, insecurity or the threat of conflict, rudimentary living and working conditions, and cultural contexts very different from home. The adaptability of the New Zealand aid workers is seen as an asset in dealing with these challenges. Wendy Stuart, an operating theatre nurse working in South Sudan, explains:

“Being a New Zealander is just the ticket for missions like this. We have a ‘can do’ attitude and the challenges in the field are invigorating to a person with the number 8 wire mentality. Also there are lots of us working in environments like South Sudan so we have respect from other nationalities – ‘you Kiwis are everywhere’ is a common expression.”

The New Zealand Red Cross Aid Worker programme is supported by funding from New Zealand Aid Programme.

To read more first-hand accounts of the aid workers’ experiences, go to www.redcross.org.nz/blog/from-the-field

Every year, New Zealand Red Cross aid workers directly contribute to saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity on the humanitarian front-line. They assist in responses to natural disasters and emergencies arising from disease and conflict, and help vulnerable communities prepare for future challenges so that they are more resilient. In 2013/14, Red Cross aid workers took part in 57 placements across the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Red Cross aid workers

Middle Colleen Clark and Wendy Stuart in South Sudan, 2014.

Photo: NZ Red Cross

Right Elizabeth McNaughton distributing aid in the Philippines.

Photo: Bob McKerrow / Swiss Red Cross

Above Glenys Checchi-Ewans

in Juba Teaching Hospital,

South Sudan.

Photo: Glenys Checchi-Ewans /

NZ Red Cross

16

In 2013, the Pacific Energy Summit generated commitments of NZ$635 million from the international community for Pacific renewable energy projects. In 2014, New Zealand completed a number of these projects and initiated several more. More widely, over 50 projects presented at the Summit are now under development by donors across the Pacific.

Samoa

New Zealand is working in partnership with the Government of Samoa, the EU, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to develop renewable energy projects in Samoa. Investments include solar photovoltaic system installation, rehabilitated and new hydropower (led by ADB), and feasibility studies into wind power generation.

In 2014, the largest solar array in the southern Pacific was completed at the Faleata Racecourse in Apia. It can generate up to 2.2MWp of power and is complemented by a 240kWp rooftop array on the Faleata Sports Complex and a 150kWp grid-connected array on the island of Savaii.

These three projects will meet about 4.5 percent of the total electricity demand in Samoa, reducing demand for imported diesel by around 1.1 million litres per year, with annual cost savings of around 3.4 million tala, or NZ$1.7 million.

The projects are part of the Samoa-New Zealand Renewable Energy Partnership which is investing $14.5 million in renewable energy projects over four years from 2014.

Cook Islands

Two major projects in the Cook Islands were implemented in 2014 in partnership with the Cook Islands Government and the EU as part of the European Union-New Zealand Energy Access Partnership.

Uira Natura ki te Tokerau (Natural Light of the North) comprises eight photovoltaic/diesel hybrid mini-grid systems with battery storage, on six of the remote Northern Group of the Cook Islands. The systems are designed for solar power to provide an average of 95 percent of the electricity, with diesel generator backup during poor weather. This project will reduce diesel use by over 230,000 litres per year, provide reliable access to modern energy services, and reduce electricity generation costs.

The systems on Rakahanga and Pukapuka were completed in 2014, with the remaining islands’ systems to be completed in 2015.

Te Mana O Te Ra (The Power from the Sun) is a large grid-connected solar array at the airport on Rarotonga, completed in September 2014. It is projected to produce in excess of 1,400MWh annually, which is almost 5 percent of Rarotonga’s electricity requirements.

Renewable energy is the centrepiece of our development investments. New Zealand has innovative technical skills in the sector and growing expertise to address the challenges of energy infrastructure in small island states.

Renewable energy

Major achievements in 2014

First solar panel being installed – Te Mana O Te Ra, Cook Islands.

50Projects

$635mCommitted

1.1mLitres

of diesel saved/year

4.5%of total

electricity demand

17

Tokelau

The Tokelau Renewable Energy Project, completed in 2013, is now supplying more than 90 percent of electricity needs, making Tokelau one of the first nations in the world to run almost exclusively on solar power. The project cost $8.5 million and is now saving about NZ$900,000 in diesel costs per year.

In 2014, the project won the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency (EECA) Renewable Energy Award. EECA Chief Executive Mike Underhill said Tokelau’s project was bringing numerous social and economic benefits to the small state.

Papua New Guinea

New Zealand is supporting two projects contributing to PNG’s ambitious goal of increasing electricity access from the current level of about 15 percent to 70 percent of the population by 2030.

The projects are:

• A rural grid extension project that connects new customers and makes use of existing hydro generation

• Building mini-hydro generation of 550kW capacity and a small electricity distribution network that will be community owned and operated.

Tuvalu

Two projects are under way with New Zealand funding to support the Tuvalu Renewable Energy Programme’s goal of efficient, reliable, safe, affordable and sustainable electricity supply for Tuvalu:

• A photovoltaic/diesel hybrid mini-grid system with battery storage on the Northern Outer Islands is due to be completed by December 2015. Under the EU/NZ Energy Access Partnership, the EU is funding similar systems for the southern outer islands.

• A 170kWp grid-connected rooftop solar photo- voltaic system on the Government and Media buildings in Funafuti is due to be completed by mid-2015. Under the UAE/NZ Partnership Arrangement for Renewable Energy the UAE is also funding a photovoltaic system for Funafuti.

Kiribati

New Zealand has developed a design for a jointly-funded project with the EU to deliver a reliable, clean, efficient and affordable electricity system on Kiritimati Island.

Tonga

New Zealand is supporting Tonga to reduce the country’s reliance on imported diesel, in line with the 10-year Tonga Energy Road Map:

• The Tonga Village Network Upgrade Project is upgrading power distribution to villages across the island of Tongatapu. The project has reduced network losses by as much as two-thirds – exceeding expectations – and is making the network safer. It is also creating jobs and industry training for linesmen. The network will continue to be upgraded across a further 33 villages.

• New Zealand is investigating the feasibility of wind power generation for potential future projects in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

• The Ma’ama Mai (Let there be light) solar farm, completed in 2012 is providing about 4 percent of Tongatapu’s electricity demands, reducing annual diesel consumption, and decreasing annual carbon dioxide emissions at levels exceeding projections.

Vanuatu

New Zealand, the Government of Vanuatu and the World Bank are working on the Vanuatu Rural Electrification Project (VREP) to deliver affordable renewable energy to people in rural areas. New Zealand has committed NZ$6 million to the project through the Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility.

VREP will subsidise low-maintenance solar photovoltaic ‘plug and play’ systems for approximately 17,500 households, in addition to 230 health posts and 2,000 not-for-profit community halls in rural areas.

New Pacific developments under way in 2014

Renewable energy continued...

to15%

70%

Increase electricity

access from

90%of energy

needs

$6mCommitted

18

Africa

In 2014, New Zealand provided technical support to the Government of the Union of the Comoros to secure co-funding from the Africa Union-managed Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility for surface exploration.

New Zealand scientists completed the first phase of the geothermal surface exploration in November 2014. Geochemical samples have been collected and sent to New Zealand for analysis and the majority of geophysical survey points plotted. The second phase of the surface exploration was planned for April 2015.

Caribbean

New Zealand hosted a workshop on geothermal development in Dominica in March 2014. It brought together government decision-makers and technical staff with New Zealand experts. Representatives from Caribbean states, Comoros, and Vanuatu, international donors, regional development and international financing organisations attended.

Following on from the workshop, New Zealand is engaged in several initiatives or support functions:

• Undertaking surface exploration in St Lucia and Grenada to build the Government’s knowledge of its geothermal resource

• Providing technical advice to build Governments’ understanding and help further development of the geothermal resource in St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, and Dominica

• Developing a programme with the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) to build capacity in the Caribbean through internships and exchanges between students, teachers/lecturers and firms in the Caribbean, New Zealand, and potentially the Pacific.

Indonesia

For several years developing Indonesia’s geothermal energy resources has been a priority for our development support. Activities in 2014 included:

• Signature of a Partnership Arrangement with Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in September 2014 to support the development of a geothermal industry human resource development strategy and plan, the development of which is now under way.

• Funding a five-year programme of technical assistance for state-owned Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), leveraging a World Bank loan for upscaling geothermal production capacity by 150MW. New Zealand company AECOM has been contracted by PGE to provide this assistance, with support from Auckland University’s Geothermal Institute.

• Crown research institute GNS Science is delivering geothermal energy training and teacher development at Indonesia’s University of Gadjah Mada. Over 100 people have been trained so far.

• New Zealand-ASEAN Scholarships for geothermal studies at the University of Auckland.

Beyond the Pacific

Left Lineswoman working on the power lines in Tonga.

Photo: Pedram Pirnia

Above Solar power initiatives in the Pacific.

19

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

African officials are welcomed to MFAT.

African officials in Wellington.

Regional cold storage facility for vaccines – Fiji

A new regional cold storage facility, which will

store vaccines for 13 Pacific island countries,

opened in Nadi, Fiji, in 2014.

The potency of vaccines can be affected by

temperature, making cold storage facilities a

necessary component of any effective immunisation

programme – particularly in a hot environment

like the Pacific. Trained staff under the supervision

of UNICEF manage the facility and ensure the

vaccines are kept at their ideal temperature.

The regional cold storage facility was funded

through New Zealand’s support to UNICEF

Pacific’s Maternal Newborn and Child Health

programme. New Zealand also supports UNICEF’s

bulk procurement of vaccines through the

Vaccine Independence Initiative.

English language training for African Officials (ELTO)

A group of African officials took part in an English

language study programme in New Zealand from

29 March 2014 to 23 May 2014. The programme

is open to officials from French and Portuguese

speaking countries across the African continent.

It focuses on English language skills that will

enable them to better represent their countries at

international events and fora where English is used.

The officials were from: Algeria, Angola,

Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire,

Gabon, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique

and Tunisia. The programme was implemented

in collaboration with Victoria University of

Wellington and Accent Learning.

May

Cold storage facilities are a necessary component of any effective immunisation

programme – particularly in a hot environment like the Pacific.

It focuses on English language skills that will enable them to better represent their countries at international events and fora where English is used.

Above and below Children on Ifira island, Vanuatu,

receiving vaccinations from a mobile

health team.

Photos: UNICEF

20

Building knowledge and skills

• We are providing vocational training and extension services in Botswana’s beef sector. New Zealand experts are training herdsman, farmers and extension officers, and providing on-the-job coaching to the newly trained extension officers. Some 8,640 cattle farmers will be reached through the activity.

• 42 African foreign affairs officials from 23 countries have improved their English language ability by attending ELTO courses in New Zealand.

• 78 African scholars are currently studying in New Zealand.

Saving lives through humanitarian action

• New Zealand has responded to major humanitarian crises in South Sudan, and Central Africa Republic, and contributed to the international response to Ebola in West Africa.

Agricultural training in Botswana.

Flagship activities

We are supporting four flagship activities:

Reducing malnutrition and increasing agriculture incomes

We have partnered with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), DfID, the World Food Programme, International Finance Corporation, the Governments of Rwanda and Ethiopia, and several private sector companies to reduce child malnutrition. The programme will produce highly nutritious food products in purpose-built factories made from locally procured crops. Our support for the agriculture component of this programme will increase incomes by an estimated US$299 (Rwanda) and US$168 (Ethiopia) per farmer over the next four years.

Strengthening avocado value chain

Working with the New Zealand company, Olivado, and scientists from Plant and Food Research, we will support over 2,000 avocado farmers in Kenya to increase their production and crop quality, leading to an increase in income of 94 percent over the next eight years.

Business registry reform

Through the New Zealand Companies Office, we will achieve faster, cheaper and more accurate business registration, initially in Lesotho and Botswana.

Geothermal surface exploration

In partnership with UNDP and the African Union-managed Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility, we are supporting the Government of Comoros to conduct surface exploration as the first phase of developing its geothermal energy potential.

Over the past couple of years New Zealand has significantly reshaped its development engagement in Africa, supporting our increased diplomatic outreach. We are linking what Africa is asking of New Zealand with the strengths that New Zealand has to offer.

Priority areas include agriculture, geothermal development, ease of doing business and building knowledge and skills (primarily through scholarships and English language training for officials).

Africa

21

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

IFAD works with smallholders in poorer rural regions to improve productivity, the value-add of products, and to ensure more sustainable use of their resources. It also helps improve national policies and capacity in the rural sector.

In 2013, 98.6 million people benefitted from IFAD projects, with nearly 3.5 million people trained in crop production practices and technologies, and 2.9 million in livestock production practices and technologies. Almost 9,400 processing facilities and 3,250 marketing facilities were constructed or rehabilitated by IFAD.

World Food Programme (WFP)

The WFP is the world’s largest food assistance agency. It works to improve community food security and resilience. WFP has a valuable role stimulating agriculture in various developing countries and regions, including with programmes to build and rehabilitate assets such as dykes, dams, and agro-forestry.

In 2013, WFP bought 2.1 million metric tons of food in 91 nations valued at US$1.16 billion, of which 79 percent was sourced in developing countries.

Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)

The SPC is the largest Pacific regional agency and New Zealand supported its Land Resources Division with $490,000 in 2014. The division provides a wide range of agricultural services and advice. Results of its work have included a new organic certification system for the Pacific; training 400 Fijian farmers in soil and seedling technology; development of a rapid laboratory technique in Samoa for producing good-quality taro breeding lines; new facilities in Ha’apai, Tonga, to distribute crop plants after Cyclone Ian; and forestry management plans and codes for Niue, Tonga and Fiji.

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

New Zealand is supporting the application of research results to agricultural development through the CGIAR.

The Livestock and Fish research programme recently completed a five-year community-based programme centred on 2,700 households in the village of Molale, in north-east Ethiopia, training farmers to improve local sheep breeds, keep proper records and establish a marketing cooperative.

The Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security CRP has completed a seven-year programme covering 13 countries in eastern, western and southern Africa, developing and disseminating drought-tolerant, locally adapted varieties of maize that are yielding over 20 percent more than existing varieties under moderate drought conditions. This work has benefited up to 30 million people.

In 2013/14, New Zealand’s contribution to international agencies was over $96.7 million. Investing in international agencies allows New Zealand to support numerous diverse initiatives across continents and sectors.

The following are a selection of agencies with an agricultural focus that New Zealand supports.

Global reach through international agencies

22

Notes: This table does not include additional funding committed for specific projects and events, e.g.. humanitarian funding as part of an emergency response. It also does not include a small number of organisations that receive smaller amounts of funding from the New Zealand Aid Programme.

World Bank

The World Bank aims to eradicate poverty by 2030. Its tools include low-cost loans, grants, guarantees and equity investments in support of developing countries. For the world’s poorest countries, a World Bank affiliate, the International Development Association (IDA), provides highly concessional loans.

One IDA programme is its Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project for Papua New Guinea (2010-2019). The project aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers through better performance and sustainability of value chains. New Zealand has supported the US$46 million project via contributions to Pacific Facility 3 – a multi-donor trust fund that is implemented by the World Bank in the Pacific.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

The ADB aims to free Asia and the Pacific from poverty. It provides low cost loans, grants, guarantees and equity investments to support developing countries, and focuses on infrastructure, energy, transport, education and private sector development.

The ADB approved a $21 million loan to help the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) commercialise smallholder livestock farming to meet rising domestic and external demand for quality meat products and to make the industry more humane, safe and environmentally sustainable. The Northern Smallholder Livestock Commercialisation Project, to be carried out in 12 districts in the four northern provinces of Lao PDR, is due to be completed in December 2021. The project will be co-funded by IFAD as well as the ADB, both of which New Zealand supports through our core funding.

INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES 2013/14 $

United Nations agencies

UNEP – Montreal Protocol 597‚763

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

8‚000‚000

World Food Programme (WFP) 6‚000‚000

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

1‚500‚000

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 6‚000‚000

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 6‚000‚000

UN Women 2‚500‚000

United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) 1‚500‚000

UNAIDS 1‚500‚000

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

5‚000‚000

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

6‚000‚000

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

3‚000‚000

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) 1‚000‚000

International financial institutions

Asian Development Bank (ADB) 10‚383‚991

International Development Association (IDA) 19‚140‚000

Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) 1‚610‚000

Commonwealth agencies

Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 800‚000

Commonwealth Small States Offices (CSSO) 512‚815

Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC)

3‚000‚000

Other agencies

International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

2‚500‚000

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

7‚500‚000

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 2‚500‚000

23

Completed bridge open to traffic.

Damage caused by Cyclone Ian.

After surgery.

Photo: Fred Hollows Foundation

Humanitarian support – Iraq

New Zealand provided $500,000 to the Office

of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to

help people displaced by fighting in Iraq.

New Pacific eye care centre

New Zealand will contribute $3.8 million to the

Fred Hollows Foundation NZ for a new regional

eye care centre in Solomon Islands. The new

eye care centre will deliver 1,900 eye surgeries

a year and allow 11,000 people to have their

eyes treated annually for a range of conditions.

The centre will also provide regional support

and training to eye health professionals to

develop the local workforce in the Pacific.

The building has been designed in New Zealand

to achieve high levels of sustainability and

includes solar panels that will generate more than

90 percent of the centre’s energy needs. It is due

to open in 2015.

Vital link restored in Solomon Islands

The new Bailey bridge opened for traffic in

Honiara, Solomon Islands – restoring a vital

transport link destroyed in April’s devastating

flooding. The prefabricated steel bridge was part

of New Zealand’s support following the flooding.

It was installed by Downer New Zealand Limited,

with support from the local Solomons firm, Dalgro.

The bridge components arrived in Honiara in May,

and pier construction, assembly and installation

was completed in a little over three weeks.

Tongan schools rebuild

New Zealand will contribute $5 million to

rebuilding schools in Tonga’s Ha’apai islands

damaged by Cyclone Ian in January 2014. The

cyclone severely damaged schools in the Ha’apai

island group, affecting 1,300 students. Getting

children back into a regular school with proper

resources is vital for their education, safety and

emotional well-being.

The $7.5 million joint project with New Zealand,

the ADB and the Tongan Government will

reconstruct classrooms and staff quarters, and

replace school equipment across the island

group by 2016.

June

24

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

Scenic Samoa.

Photo: Samoa Tourism Authority

Niue can offer tourists unique landscapes.

Matavai Resort, Niue.

Photo: SNPA / Ross Setford

Support for Samoa’s tourism sector

New Zealand will invest $1 million to help boost

Samoa’s tourism sector. The funding will help

the Samoa Tourism Authority upgrade a number

of important visitor attractions, and improve

information and access to visitor attractions.

The higher quality and more accessible visitor

attractions will improve tourists’ experience and

should help increase income for local businesses

and communities.

Tourism is critical to Samoa’s economy, contributing nearly a quarter of the country’s annual GDP. New Zealand is also providing

funding to Samoa to help the tourism sector

rebuild following Cyclone Evan in December

2012, increase market demand and develop a

five-year plan for tourism development as a

basis for continued long-term support.

$1.25 million investment in tourism and energy in Niue

New Zealand will invest $1.25 million to support

tourism and renewable energy in Niue.

Tourism is the primary driver of economic

development in Niue, creating jobs for locals

and injecting foreign capital into the economy.

In 2013, refurbishment and redevelopment of

Matavai Resort, along with new Matavai Motels

and Matavai Villa, increased the capacity of

high-quality accommodation on the island.

An Air Services agreement with Air New Zealand

also added a second weekly flight to and from

Niue through the tourist season. This support

contributed to a 56 percent increase in visitors

to 7,100 in 2013. Overall tourist spend has increased

by over 80 percent since 2009.

New Zealand will contribute $1 million over five years

to further develop Niue’s tourism. The money will be

used to develop new accommodation, and improve

key infrastructure, including telecommunications,

electricity, waste management and water supply.

New Zealand will also provide $250,000 to assist

the Government of Niue to ensure the stability

its electricity grid as it increases the proportion

of electricity generation from renewable sources.

Reliable energy is important to a viable tourism

industry as well as beneficial for the local population.

“ The higher quality and more accessible visitor attractions will improve tourists’ experience and should help increase income for local businesses and communities.”

25

The New Zealand Aid Programme has supported the Fred Hollows Foundation NZ’s work in training eye health professionals (including doctors, ophthalmologists and nurses) and in delivering outreach services since 2002. New Zealand is the lead donor of the Pacific Regional Blindness Prevention Programme – Phase 3, contributing $5.7 million from February 2013 to December 2015. In addition, New Zealand is supporting the new regional eye care centre in Solomon Islands.

The Foundation works to increase access to eye care services, including sight-restoring operations. It also trains local eye health specialists to provide eye care services in their own communities. This is a vital part of the sustainability of the Foundation’s work. A Pacific doctor trained by this programme will restore sight to thousands of people over the course of his or her career.

It is estimated that four out of five of the 80,000 people without vision in the Pacific region suffer from preventable blindness. It goes without saying that the loss of eyesight has far-reaching effects on people’s lives. Those who go blind are often unable to work and therefore unable to contribute financially to their family, or participate socially to the extent they used to, often causing isolation and hardship. Indeed, if they were a main breadwinner, that hardship can extend to their family. In many cases this situation can be completely reversed with simple, sight-restoring surgery.

Since 2006:

146 Eye nurses and technicians have completed

specialist post-graduate training and qualifications

through the Fred Hollows Foundation NZ

16 Doctors have completed specialist

post-graduate training

50,000 Consultations and treatments a year performed by

Pacific eye health workers trained by Fred Hollows

Foundation NZ as a result of workforce development

In 2013, New Zealand Aid funding directly contributed to:

5,850 Spectacles being dispensed

6,907 Patients receiving diabetic retinopathy treatment

2,258 Cataract operations

862 Other eye operations

Addressing preventable blindness in the Pacific

Photos: Fred Hollows Foundation

26

Latin America

New Zealand’s development engagement in Latin America focuses on agriculture, including the following activities:

Ch ile

We are implementing an agricultural industry training project through Agricultural Services Limited working with the Chilean Government to improve the skills and knowledge of small farmers and the agricultural workforce.

Ur uguay

We are working with AgResearch and the Uruguayan Government to improve the profitability and viability of family farms by introducing environmentally-sound farming practices and technologies to increase production while enhancing farm resilience.

Pa raguay

We are supporting an initiative to improve farmer production, access to finance and linkages to markets implemented by the Paraguayan Ministry of Agriculture with the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Co lombia

We are designing a new investment which will see us work closely with the Colombian Government to improve the productivity and net incomes of small and medium size dairy farmers, and increase extension and vocational training capacity.

Caribbean

New Zealand’s development engagement with the Caribbean has three pillars:

• Renewable energy (geothermal)

• Disaster risk management

• Knowledge and skills.

Geothermal development is the flagship of our engagement in the eastern Caribbean. We are supporting Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Kitts and Nevis with technical assistance activities that help them develop their geothermal resources.

We are also developing an activity with the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre to improve volcanic and seismic monitoring and develop alert systems in the region, and working with the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI) on a capacity building activity in the small ruminants sector.

New Zealand has engaged in development cooperation in Latin America since the 1970s. In 2013 our support was expanded to also include the Caribbean, with around 1 percent of New Zealand’s development support (about $16.5 million) invested across Latin America and the Caribbean in the 2012-2015 triennium.

As a niche donor in the region, to achieve impact we target activities that reflect both our strengths and partner country needs, while working closely with other governments, and creating partnerships with other organisations where possible.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Geophysics scouting in Grenada as part of the geothermal surface exploration programme.

A training field day for farmers at a sheep focus

farm in Los Ríos region, Chile.

27

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

Middle P&O cruise ship moored in Port Vila.

Photos: Vanuatu Tourism Office / David Kirkland

Top Fishing in Port Vila.

Bottom On the water near Tanna Island.

45th Pacific Islands Forum

The 2014 Pacific Islands Forum was held on Palau,

attended by representatives of the 15 Forum

member states, and representatives from other

countries and organisations around the world.

The theme of the forum was “The Ocean: Life and

Future”, and topics included climate change and

the sustainable management and development

of ocean resources.

New Zealand signed the Niue Treaty Subsidiary

Agreement on regional fisheries cooperation at the

Forum. This valuable tool enhances cooperation

in fisheries surveillance, enforcement, and

information sharing in the Pacific.

New Zealand also announced investments of

$4.6 million in systems to manage the region’s

fisheries information, and $5 million to carry out

hydrographic survey and charting work in the

region. These are in addition to the $66 million

New Zealand had already committed over the

next five years for fisheries management and

development in the Pacific.

Increasing veterinary capability – Massey University with Sri Lanka

As part of a suite of initiatives under the

Sri Lanka-New Zealand Dairy Cooperation

Arrangement, Massey University will work with

the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical

Sciences at the University of Peradeniya to improve

veterinary standards in Sri Lanka.

The partnership will include curriculum

development and increasing teaching capability,

and will include a focus on farming and livestock

practices, drawing on New Zealand’s expertise

in this sector.

More trained vets will benefit Sri Lanka’s growing

agricultural sector. The New Zealand Aid Programme

is contributing around $2.2 million over five years.

Boost to number of workers in the RSE scheme

New Zealand has increased the number of workers

who can take part in the Recognised Seasonal

Worker (RSE) scheme from 8,000 to 9,000.

Vanuatu tourism agreement

New Zealand and Vanuatu signed a Tourism

Partnership Arrangement for a five-year programme

with the goal of a ‘buoyant, resilient and sustainable

tourism sector that provides greater economic

returns for the people of Vanuatu’.

The projects to be undertaken in the partnership

link with the recommendations of Vanuatu’s

national strategy for tourism development, so

that they will contribute to the achievement of

Vanuatu’s national tourism vision.

Key initiatives include the Vanuatu Tourism

Infrastructure Project (VTIP), which aims to

improve the safety, attractiveness and value of

Port Vila as a tourist and cruise ship gateway.

July

28

Seasonal workers from Solomon Islands at JR’s Orchard.

Photo: Rachel Park, NZDF

RSE is an innovative immigration policy that fulfils a labour need in New Zealand while giving workers from the Pacific the chance to earn income and gain skills that can contribute to their own communities’ development.

New Zealand’s seasonal labour initiative

New Zealand’s fruit, vegetable, and wine industries need up to 50,000 workers a year at peak times to pick and pack fruit, prune, and prepare orchards and vines for the next season. It can be difficult to recruit enough workers for these peak times, and in the past a lack of workers has hampered productivity.

The RSE scheme was introduced in 2006 to allow temporary entry of workers from overseas to work in these industries. Priority is given to workers from the Pacific, and over 80 percent of workers come from seven Pacific nations: Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Papua New Guinea.

Over 100 New Zealand employers are in the scheme. To hire RSE workers, employers have to show that no New Zealanders are available for the work. They must also contribute half the cost of airfares, pay market wages, and provide a minimum quantity of work.

A survey of RSE growers and employers in October 2013 found that their production had increased by 32 percent and their orchard area by 20 percent. They had also increased their employment of New Zealand permanent and seasonal workers by 19 and 16 percent, respectively.

In the 2012/13 year, 7,456 workers came to New Zealand under the scheme.

RSE policy allows industry to employ up to 9,000 migrant workers for up to seven months each year. On average, workers take home $5,500 each season. Overall remittances have therefore been between $34 million and $41 million a year since 2008.

While in New Zealand, workers also have the chance to undertake training, including in

language and financial management, that is often not available in their home countries. RSE has become highly valued in the Pacific as a source of both income and skills.

The scheme requires workers to return to their home countries at the end of their employment period – ensuring the benefits flow back to the developing country.

RSE is an example of policy coherence, with multiple government agencies involved in its development, and the immigration, labour, and development implications of the policy all considered. The horticultural sector and unions were also consulted. The resulting policy has multiple benefits: RSE is often described as being a ‘triple win’, benefitting the workers, New Zealand industries, and developing country economies.

A 2014 World Bank report describes RSE as “one of the most effective development interventions for which rigorous evaluations are available”.

Up to 9,000 RSE workers a year:

$38-$41m Remittances earned per year

$5,500 Each take home on average

RSE employers:

32% Increase in production

20% Increase in orchard area

19% Increase in NZ permanent workers employed

16% Increase in NZ seasonal workers

29

Fisheries are the greatest shared

resource in the Pacific.

Working together as a region

The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) is a key way the region works together to manage its tuna fisheries.

The FFA was established in August 1979 to support its 17 members through technical assistance and expertise to achieve the highest level of economic and social benefits, compatible with sustainable use of tuna resources. New Zealand is both a member and funder of the FFA.

Member countries retain sovereign control over their tuna resources and participate in regional decision-making on tuna management through agencies such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

From 2009 to 2013, the contribution of tuna to Pacific economies increased by 125 percent, due largely to the efforts of Pacific island countries working cooperatively through mechanisms such as the FFA and being Parties to the Nauru Agreement.

Fisheries underpin the economies of Pacific island countries. Economic returns from tuna fisheries have improved in recent years, but management challenges, overfishing, illegal fishing, and low economic returns to island countries from some sub-sectors are ongoing issues.

New Zealand has a multi-faceted approach to supporting the Pacific’s ‘blue economy’. We work with Pacific island countries and regional organisations to ensure full economic benefits are realised, while resources are protected for long-term sustainability.

Developing the ‘Blue Economy’

Australia, the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Pacific Forum

Fisheries members

EXAMPLE PROJECTRegional cooperation in action:

Pacific fisheries observers

Fisheries observers monitor fishing activity and provide quality compliance and scientific information. In 2008, Pacific island countries committed to increasing purse seine (a technique that uses a large net to encircle large schools of tuna) observer coverage from a 5 percent regional average to 100 percent of all purse seine vessels.

This required a substantial increase in the number of certified observers, qualified debriefers, and observer trainers. It also needed improved regional and national systems and processes to manage fisheries.

New Zealand, FFA, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community worked together to assist Pacific island countries to make this transition. As a result, the number of observers in the region has increased from about 200 to over 700.

Fisheries administrations have been strengthened to ensure that national observer programmes are well managed and data is received, analysed, and used effectively. Pacific island countries now have a programme that can meet their management, science, and compliance needs.

...the number of observers in the region has increased from about 200 to over 700.

30

Students work in the Marine

Training Centre, Kiribati.

Image of the underwater wreck of the SS President Coolidge.

Photo: LINZ

Supporting a country to realise benefits – Marine Training Centre in Kiribati

Kiribati has one of the largest exclusive economic zones of all the small island states. The Marine Training Centre (MTC) in South Tarawa prepares young I-Kiribati to make the most of the employment potential of their ocean environment. It offers vocational training in deck and engine room seafaring, first aid, survival, social studies, English, and hospitality services. In 2015, MTC has begun providing fisheries training.

Established in 1967, the MTC has produced more than 2,100 trainees, with a current intake of 50 per year. Its graduates find employment on international vessels, and in public and private marine organisations in Kiribati.

New Zealand has been funding development activities at the MTC since the 1970s. Current support includes:

• Capacity strengthening for teachers and management

• Improving training resources and facilities

• Constructing two buildings to house fisheries trainees, administration offices, and the medical clinic

• Ensuring medical clearances of seafarers are internationally recognised, which is a prerequisite for gaining employment offshore.

New Zealand also supports the MTC through assignments of Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) volunteers.

Remittance returns from MTC graduates’ employment on international vessels have seen an assessed benefit-to-cost ratio of $2.40 for every dollar invested in the MTC by New Zealand from 1995 to 2012, with the combined impact of remittances and the operation of the MTC on the Kiribati economy totalling 3.4 percent of Kiribati’s GDP through that 18-year period.

Navigating the Pacific

Up-to-date navigation charts based on modern, accurate surveys are critical transport infrastructure – they are the ocean equivalent of well-constructed roads and properly charted aviation routes.

New Zealand is investing $5 million over five years in hydrographic risk assessment, navigational aids and surveying and charting work, and training and capacity building in Pacific Island Countries, building on a successful pilot project in Vanuatu.

Hydrography is highly specialised and few Pacific countries have the technical capability and expertise that New Zealand has to undertake hydrographic surveys or update their own navigational charts.

A partnership with Land Information New Zealand (the Principal Charting Authority) will focus on Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tokelau, and regional partner, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, will work with other Pacific island countries in the region.

Well over 90 percent of trade to and from the Pacific is by ship and the cruise ship industry generated an estimated US$640 million in direct passenger expenditure for the region in 2012. Under International Maritime Organisation regulations, from July 2016 all large international vessels operating worldwide will be required need to use electronic navigation systems, which require up-to-date electronic navigation charts that meet international standards. If a country’s charts do not meet these standards, cruise and cargo ships will cease visiting, severely damaging their economies.

It is also a safety issue for local populations, with navigation charts making waters safer, and lessening the risk of ships being damaged, resulting in, perhaps, a diesel spill that could environmentally and economically devastate a Pacific island country.

31

SNAPSHOTS of the YEARAugust

The EHOWU project, Nias.

Photo: Michael Lawrence

Further aid to Iraq

New Zealand committed to providing $500,000

to support humanitarian efforts in Iraq by the

United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Healthier communities on Nias Island

An initiative in Nias, Indonesia, is improving the

health of some of the most vulnerable people in

one of the country’s poorest areas.

EHOWU (which means ‘healthy’ in the local

language) focuses on maternal and child health

through training health professionals and improving

access to services and facilities. It is demonstrating

tangible health improvements for women and

children on Nias Island, including:

• A fall in the number of maternal deaths

through training midwives in safe deliveries.

• Better mother and child health through regular

monitoring at community-based health care

service, or Posyandu.

• Increased access to safe drinking water for

communities through the construction of

336 water facilities.

EHOWU is funded by the New Zealand Aid

Programme and delivered by the non-government

organisation SurfAid, which has worked closely

with local authorities to ensure that budget, skills

and knowledge will continue to deliver sustained

results when EHOWU ends in early 2015.

The initiative’s positive results on Nias Island

have led to the New Zealand Aid Programme

partnering with SurfAid International on a

similar initiative in Nusa Tenggara Barat province,

in Indonesia. The new initiative will be known

as SIMBO (‘growing’ in the local language).

Local government staff sharing expertise in the Pacific

New Zealand local government staff are sharing their

expertise with Pacific island authorities to help them

to develop and deliver local services in the Pacific

Technical Assistance (Pacific TA) programme.

The programme is managed by Local Government

New Zealand (LGNZ) and funded by the

New Zealand Aid Programme.

In 2014, staff from the Auckland, Wellington, Porirua,

Hawke’s Bay, Central Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Napier

and Tararua councils have assisted Pacific countries

in areas including waste management, dog control,

water storage, and reviews of management, human

resources and property tax.

A dog on the street in

Apia, Samoa.

EXAMPLE PROJECT SUPPORTING SAMOA

DOG MANAGEMENT

Hundreds of people every year seek medical care for bites

from uncontrolled dogs in Samoa. The high incidence of

dog attacks makes for an unsafe environment for walking

and cycling, and the dogs also cause noise pollution.

These problems have a negative effect on tourism: the

2012/13 Visitor Exit Survey found that while most visitors

really enjoyed Samoa, the dogs were the most disliked aspect.

The Government of Samoa passed the Canine Control Act

in 2013 as an initial step toward addressing dog management

issues. It then asked New Zealand to assist the Samoa Police,

who are tasked with implementing the Act, to design and

implement a dog management programme.

LGNZ is working with Samoa

on a programme that draws on

New Zealand experience and

meets New Zealand animal

welfare standards. It includes:

• Promotion of dog registration

• Educating the community on

responsible dog ownership

• Implementing dog control

activities and veterinary services

• Construction of a dog shelter.

The New Zealand Aid Programme is supporting the

initiative as part of its commitment to improving tourism.

32

Economic development

• A five-year, $6 million dairy project will help establish a profitable and competitive dairy industry in Myanmar, providing livelihoods for farmers and safe food for consumers. Fonterra is supporting this activity.

• We are working closely with Myanmar to develop a new economic development activity in Rakhine, the second poorest state in the country.

• A new multi-country animal health activity is being planned which will benefit Myanmar.

Human resource development

• Twelve post-graduate scholars are currently studying in New Zealand and 20 officials and two senior officials participate each year in the English Language Training for Officials and Senior Officials programmes.

• Three in-country English language courses (for 116 officials) to support Myanmar’s role as ASEAN chair were delivered in 2014.

• A new three-year phase of the Myanmar Young (Community) Leaders Programme started in June 2014 with the first eight participants arriving in New Zealand for 25 weeks of training in English and familiarisation with New Zealand’s good government and democratic processes.

Partnerships for development

• We are partnering with World Vision NZ and Beca in Magwe (Myanmar’s dry zone) to identify new agricultural products for commercial development, and to improve water conservation.

Regional support

• Myanmar receives assistance from New Zealand through contributions to regional initiatives, including: training officials at the Mekong Institute, business representatives participating in the Young Business Leaders Initiative, and disaster risk management support from the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre and the Asia Disaster Preparedness Centre.

Myanmar is the poorest country in South East Asia and only just emerging from five decades of economic and political isolation.

Since the reform process began in 2011, New Zealand has strengthened its relationship with Myanmar, including through targeted development cooperation and the recent establishment of a New Zealand Embassy.

Agriculture is the main industry in Myanmar, accounting for approximately 60 percent of GDP and employing 65 percent of the country’s labour force.

There is enormous potential for New Zealand expertise to help Myanmar improve its agricultural sector. As the country continues its reform process, New Zealand is also supporting the development of leaders and officials through training and scholarships.

Myanmar

Training in disaster risk reduction for ASEAN officials.

Agriculture development, Myanmar.

33

SNAPSHOTS of the YEARSeptember

Tsunami warning sign in Rarotonga,

Cook Islands.

Coordinated New Zealand support for Pacific disaster risk management

A new partnership agreement between the Ministry

of Civil Defence and Emergency Management and

MFAT aims to help Pacific island countries prepare

for and manage natural disasters.

The arrangement builds on three years of

cooperation between the New Zealand ministries,

which have been working with Pacific governments

to help them prepare for natural disasters and

has delivered practical improvements in disaster

readiness across the Pacific.

Under the arrangement, the ministries will share

expertise, pool resources, and work together

on prevention measures and rapid response to

disasters in the Pacific.

There is also a focus on helping Pacific nations

better protect children and young people in the

event of major emergencies. The arrangement aims

to help Pacific island countries strengthen their

own national capability in readiness, response

and recovery, while New Zealand will continue to

provide expert emergency management support.

Fonterra and MFAT sign dairy framework for development

MFAT has signed a Framework for International

Development in Dairy Excellence with the

Fonterra Dairy Co-operative.

The framework outlines how the two organisations

can work together, combining Fonterra’s dairy

expertise with MFAT’s development knowledge

and best practice.

The goal is to enhance food security, income and

nutrition in targeted developing countries by

promoting dairy industry development and food

safety and quality.

Projects under the framework will use expertise

and innovation to bring about development

solutions in areas such as building the capability

of farmers in developing countries, or enhancing

co-operative models and business structures.

Any projects undertaken within the framework

will be subject to New Zealand Aid Programme

design and evaluation processes.

South Africa food safety workshop

In early September, New Zealand and South Africa

co-hosted an agricultural workshop on ‘Food

Safety Systems for Export’ in Pretoria – the first

New Zealand-driven workshop of its type in

sub-Saharan Africa.

The workshop targeted regulators and industry

and brought together over 60 participants from

17 countries in southern and eastern Africa.

Organisations represented included the African

Union, Southern African Development Community,

the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation,

African Development Bank and the Common

Market for East and Southern Africa Secretariat.

A dairy development project in Myanmar.

There is also a focus on helping Pacific nations better protect children and young people in the event of major emergencies.

34

Island VoicesGlobal Choices

The United Nations 3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), held in Apia from 28 August to 4 September, was the largest conference ever held in the Pacific.

Cultural Opening Ceremony of the

Third International Conference on SIDS, Samoa.

Photo: UN / Evan Schneider

Opening Plenary of the Third International Conference on SIDS, Samoa.

Photo: UN / Evan Schneider

With more than 2,300 international delegates and over 20 heads of state or government, the conference was a unique opportunity for small island states to bring the wider UN membership’s attention to the unique sustainable development challenges they face and their particular priorities.

Samoa’s achievement in hosting the conference was remarkable and widely praised by participants.

At its request, New Zealand played a significant ‘behind the scenes’ support role which was well received and acknowledged, by Samoa and other SIDS.

Our engagement was a true ‘New Zealand Inc’ undertaking: from advising on the development of a conference transport plan, to augmenting Samoa’s border security, to providing crucial additional accommodation in the form of the Pacific Jewel cruise ship.

New Zealand’s Deputy Permanent Representative at the United Nations in New York co-chaired the negotiation of the conference outcome document, the SAMOA Pathway.

New Zealand also hosted and participated in a wide range of initiatives at the conference, reflecting the breadth of our development support in the Pacific and in SIDS more generally.

In the lead up to the conference, New Zealand co-hosted a renewable energy forum which drew on its experience supporting renewable energy in the Pacific – including investments in Samoa.

During the SIDS conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully officially opened the largest solar array in the Pacific at the Apia racetrack, while each day thousands ate at the conference food hall which had been re-roofed with photovoltaic panels provided by New Zealand.

New Zealand co-hosted a pre-conference ocean acidification workshop that encouraged sharing of knowledge on this issue that is of vital importance to SIDS.

New Zealand also organised and chaired a side event focusing on regional approaches to fisheries management, which highlighted its strong support for sustainable Pacific fisheries.

During the conference, 297 partnerships were announced between governments, businesses, civil society, and UN entities in areas such as sustainable economic development, climate change and disaster risk management, social development, sustainable energy, oceans, health, and water and sanitation, food security, and waste management.

Small Island Developing States conference

Our engagement was a true ‘New Zealand Inc’ undertaking...

35

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAROctober

Right Members of the delegation of

New Zealand, with Jim Mclay (centre

left), Permanent Representative to

the UN, following their country’s

election to a non-permanent

seat on the Security Council.

Above UN Security Council.

Above and left NZ’s Plant and Food Research provides training on disease control and production for avocado trees in Kenya.

Photo: Plant and Food Research, NZ

New Zealand elected to UNSC

New Zealand was elected to a non-permanent seat

on the UN Security Council for the 2015-16 term.

Support for community-based tourism in the Lao PDR

In 2014 the three-year ‘Community-Based Tourism

for Sustainable Economic Development’ programme

concluded in the Lao PDR. This US$ 3.5 million

initiative supported the implementation of

community-based tourism projects in four target

provinces – Luang Namtha, Xieng Khouang,

Khammouane and Bolikhamxay.

The programme included the construction of more

than 65 small-scale infrastructure items, including

the Plain of Jars Visitor’s Centre in Xieng Khouang

and several community lodges where income

generated remains within the community.

Partnership supports avocado farmers in Kenya

The New Zealand Aid Programme is providing up

to $4 million to Plant and Food Research NZ over

five years to work with New Zealand-born company

Olivado to strengthen the avocado industry in central

Kenya. Olivado produces gourmet culinary oils and

has production bases in Kerikeri, New Zealand,

and in Nairobi, Kenya.

The end of the first year external evaluation was

carried out in December.

The project will advance the economic development

of the small-holder farmers in the Murang’a district.

Olivado is able to negotiate a secure path for the

farmers to find markets for their products and with

training and support they should get a better return

from their avocado crops. It will more than double

the average return to farmers over 10 years by

improving the quality and quantity of avocados

produced through shifting to a new variety,

improving production practices and strengthening

post-harvest systems.

Right A community lodge In Lao PDR.

36

Sustainable Development Goals

In 2014, the United Nations’ member states identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to form the basis of the post-2015 development agenda.

The SDGs pick up the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and ensure balance across the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

New Zealand supported its Pacific neighbours in advocating successfully for a goal on oceans to be included in the SDGs. The inclusion of goals on sustainable agriculture and food security, and sustainable energy also reflected New Zealand’s priorities.

G20

At the invitation of Australia, New Zealand was a guest member of the G20 during the 2014 year of Australia’s presidency. This included active participation in the G20’s Development Working Group which sought to integrate a development dimension into the G20’s growth and resilience agenda.

Contributing to the G20’s target of reducing average global remittance costs to 5 percent was one focus for New Zealand, given the importance of remittances to Pacific economies. G20 leaders committed to a G20 Plan to Facilitate Remittance Flows in which members agreed to take additional action to reduce the cost of remittances.

New Zealand’s actions include a mix of domestic and foreign policy measures, as well as development assistance initiatives focusing on the Pacific. An ongoing inter-agency working group led by MFAT was established to achieve a coherent New Zealand Government approach, including on the worldwide issue of money transfer operator bank accounts being closed.

Agreement was reached on actions to support developing country participation in G20 international tax initiatives on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI). New Zealand worked closely with Australia in consulting Pacific countries on the impact of both initiatives.

International Development Policy

Middle Scenes from the 2014 G20 Summit, Brisbane.

Photo: UN / Rick Bajornas

Bottom Attendees at the first high-level meeting of Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.

Photo: UN / Paulo Filgueiras

Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation

In April, New Zealand attended the first high level meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation in Mexico.

It brought together 1,500 development leaders from around the world, including Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.

The meeting was an opportunity to review global progress in making development co-operation more effective, agree on actions to boost progress, and anchor effective development co-operation in the post-2015 global development agenda. It also reaffirmed the importance of effective development cooperation in meeting the Millennium Development Goals and as a key part of the ‘how’ of the next global development framework.

The Global Partnership, which was formed following the fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, November 2011, brings a wide range of stakeholders together to implement the Busan principles:

• Ownership of development priorities by developing countries

• Focus on results

• Inclusive development partnerships

• Transparency and accountability to each other.

Top Annual Parliamentary Hearing on the Sustainable Development Goals

Photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe

37

SNAPSHOTS of the YEARNovember

Aid for people affected by ISIL

New Zealand provided a further $1 million for

humanitarian assistance to help those forced from

their homes by ISIL and to support the countries

which they have fled to.

Supporting the fight against Ebola

In 2014 New Zealand contributed $5 million to

help combat the spread of Ebola. This included:

• $2 million in funding for UN agencies

responding to the outbreak in West Africa

• $2 million to facilitate up to 24 New Zealand

health personnel volunteers as part of an

Australian deployment to Sierra Leone

• $1 million for the World Health Organization’s

Pacific regional response plan to help them

prepare for an Ebola outbreak.

Fairtrade ANZ launches good governance training in PNG

Fairtrade ANZ launched its Good Governance

Training Module for Small Farmer Organisations

in Goroka, Papua New Guinea, in late 2014.

The training was designed in collaboration with

Pacific farmers, and focuses on good governance

practices such as transparency and accountability.

More than 200 board director and management

representatives of Pacific farmer organisations

were trained in 2014. Kits were also distributed for

these representatives to roll out the same training

to their members.

To be Fairtrade certified, farmers must comply with

social and environmental standards, and principles

such as business accountability and transparency.

The governance module is part of Fairtrade

ANZ’s Producer Library, a set of interactive tools

that help producers to achieve these goals. The

training is funded by the Interchurch Organization

for Development Cooperation (ICCO) and the

New Zealand Aid Programme, and carried out

by Fairtrade ANZ’s Producer Support team.

Fairtrade is a market-based development mechanism

that improves the visibility of products on

supermarket shelves via the FAIRTRADE mark.

In 2014, New Zealanders spent $69.4 million on

Fairtrade Certified products. Since 2010, more

than 20,000 small-scale Pacific producers have

benefited from Fairtrade.

“ The good governance training gave us a better understanding of how we should be directing and managing our organisations, and of the roles of the board of directors, management and members. If we are transparent and participative, our businesses can grow stronger.”

– Daniel Kinne Chairperson of Highland Organic Agriculture Cooperative

Survivors of Ebola greet the UN

Secretary General upon his arrival at

the Ebola Treatment Unit near Freetown,

Sierra Leone.

Photo: UNMEER / Martine Perret

Right Sakabo Melong, a Pacific farmer, at Good Governance training.

Left Daniel Kinne, HOAC coffee, PNG.

Photos: Fairtrade ANZ

Maghuraka MSF Treatment Center

in Sierra Leone.

Photos: UNMEER / Martine Perret

38

Non-communicable diseases in the Pacific

Left Solomon Islands nurse aid

checking blood glucose and

cholesterol levels.

Right Samoa’s smokefree

market place.

New Zealand has a strategic, targeted approach to tackle NCD prevalence in the Pacific.

It contributed to the first Joint Pacific Health and Forum Finance Ministers meeting on NCDs, which allowed NCDs to be considered from a broader perspective than just the health sector.

The meeting resulted in commitments to increase excise tax on cigarettes to 70 percent of the retail price, and to consider policies that reduce harm from alcohol, and foods high in sugar, salt and fat. It also looked at how to improve the efficiency and impact of existing health budgets by supporting secondary NCD interventions (such as access to statins, and insulin and cholesterol testing) and strengthening the evidence base for investment planning.

New Zealand is supporting these outcomes through a four-year, $6 million partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working with governments, primary health institutions, and other stakeholders in 14 Pacific island countries: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

The multi-faceted approach includes legislative, regulatory, and enforcement measures; education and advocacy; and strengthening human resource, pharmaceutical, and institutional capacity.

The partnership will also strengthen primary healthcare services to better prevent and control NCD prevalence, and develop monitoring and surveillance systems.

Since the partnership started, Solomon Islands and Palau have increased excise taxes on tobacco, Fiji has declared three towns and cities and five schools smoke-free, Tonga has declared two schools smoke-free, and Kiribati has declared a smoke-free islet.

Vanuatu, Kiribati, Fiji and Cook Islands have adapted WHO’s protocol on NCDs to their national contexts. Cook Islands and Fiji are rolling out the services to all primary care facilities. Drugs and equipment for demonstration projects have been provided to Samoa, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, and the Cook Islands.

Studies on the costs of rolling out cardiovascular screening and diabetes management have been undertaken in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Nauru and are ongoing in Tonga and Kiribati.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory disease, are responsible for about three-quarters of all deaths in the Pacific.

NCDs prematurely end many lives and severely affect quality of life for many more. They impose large and preventable costs on already overstretched Pacific public health systems, and their broader economies.

The targets are ambitious: a reduction in adult cardiovascular disease risk by 15 percent and adult tobacco use by 10 percent by 2018, resulting in a 25 percent reduction in premature NCD mortality in 2025.

39

The PPDVP Symposium in April 2014 focused community and police leaders from across the Pacific on the sensitive issue of culture and religion being used as an excuse for domestic violence. The Nadi Accord on Culture and Religion confirmed that they are not an excuse, and that culture should be used in a positive way to promote gender equality. The Accord was subsequently endorsed by the Pacific Islands Forum leaders and by the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police. This is a major step in addressing domestic violence.

Other recent outcomes from the five countries in the programme include:

• Police services are showing stronger leadership on domestic violence prevention and response. Standard operating procedures are in place for responding to domestic violence.

• Data availability has improved with systematic collection by Police, community groups and government agencies.

• Domestic violence prevention and response is in all countries’ strategic plans and annual business plans. Four countries have established domestic violence advisory committees.

• Case reporting levels have increased, indicating that victims are less afraid to come forward.

For the sixth year, as part of PPDVP, New Zealand Rugby and New Zealand Police teamed up to help a Pacific country on the path to being free from domestic violence.

Seven professional New Zealand rugby players, a former cricketer and a hockey player spent a

week in Vanuatu as part of this programme. They met with children, prisoners, villagers and village chefs, spreading

the message: ‘Break the silence, end the violence’. During the visit, Vanuatu Prime Minister Joe Natuman fielded a Prime Minister’s touch rugby team and attended a number of events.

The visit succeeded in gaining a level of exposure of domestic violence issues and support for tackling it that would usually take years to achieve. The challenge now is to maintain momentum and embed the positive change that has been generated.

In 2014, the PPDVP won two awards: the NZ Rugby Players Association Off the Field Achievement Award, and a Quality in Law Enforcement award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police in the United States.

The New Zealand Aid Programme has supported PPDVP since 2005. Funding for the current phase is $4 million over four years.

The Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme (PPDVP) aims for a safer Pacific free from domestic violence. A step towards achieving that is an innovative, long-term partnership between New Zealand Police, MFAT and Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police.

The programme provides support and advice to police services in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. This current phase, running from 2012 to 2016, has an increased focus on changing attitudes of the front-line police who deal with domestic violence.

Preventing domestic violence in the Pacific

The PPDVP visit to Vanuatu.

Case reporting levels have increased, indicating that victims are less afraid to come forward.

40

Digging for recovery

Poutasi was one of the areas worst affected when Cyclone Evan hit Samoa in December 2012. Amid the rest of the damage, the fledgling Poutasi Gardens were destroyed, leaving VSA volunteer Glenn Cant working with the Poutasi Development Trust to start from scratch.

The trust, in partnership with the Tindall Foundation, now supplies more than 20 restaurants and resorts on the island of Upolu with fresh locally grown produce, replacing imported produce and providing new products to market.

The Poutasi Gardens employ five full-time workers, including four women.

The gardens also buy produce from a dozen local families to on-sell. In addition, each month, 10,000 tala (around NZ $5,000) now goes back into the community, supporting a preschool for 25 children and the Poutasi Arts Centre for local artisans to make and sell their products.

The project has also trained 20 villagers in intensive horticulture, and the garden staff now manage many aspects of the garden independently.

The community was also trained in growing crops from seeds, preparing beds, applying fertiliser, spraying for pests, irrigating, and harvesting and post-harvest handling. The gardens’ staff have also received training in financial literary, opening bank accounts and other important life skills.

Strengthening governance in Solomon Islands

Since 2009, five VSA volunteers have worked with provincial governments in Solomon Islands to give legal advice and help strengthen procedures.

With a legal system that in many cases still only existed in hard copy, there was a real risk valuable records would be lost forever.

To remedy this, a lot of work has gone into developing safe digital storage and accessibility. In addition, volunteer Melanie Phillips has added a suite of easy-to-follow guides and templates for laws and policies for use in the provinces.

But while Melanie has added to the statute books, she says her biggest achievement has been to influence decision-making. As an example, she says there were two provincial elections last year, but the budget for voter registration was cut by the Ministry of Finance. “The question was, do we have to register voters?” Melanie says that by the letter of the law, no, it’s not mandatory to register voters. However she points out that as over 65% of the Solomon Islands population is under the age of 25, a huge cohort of people had turned 18 since the last elections, and “you can’t stop them from voting”. Melanie advised delaying the elections by two months to undertake a shortened registration process, in which workers travelled to provinces to sign up new voters – more than 10,000 new voters were registered.

In the year to 30 June 2014, VSA’s Kiwi volunteers were engaged on a record 184 volunteer assignments across the Asia-Pacific region. The following are just two examples of how they are making a difference.

Volunteer Service Abroad – Kiwis making a difference

VSA volunteer Glenn Cant

(second from left) with some of

the team at Poutasi Gardens.

Photo: Sharyn Cant / VSA

VSA volunteer Melanie Phillips (right) with colleagues in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Photo: Melanie Phillips / VSA

For more about VSA achievements and how you can be involved, see www.vsa.org.nz

41

December

Mike Walker (Foster Moore) assisting Lesotho Ministry of Trade and Industry Cooperatives and Marketing staff on the new online register.

Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Programme

The Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape

Programme (PROP), which aims to strengthen

the management of Pacific island fisheries,

was approved in December 2014.

PROP will initially fund the Federated States of

Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands,

Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the Pacific Islands

Forum Fisheries Agency to improve the sustainable

use of oceanic fisheries, coastal fisheries, and the

critical habitats on which they depend.

The US$32.97 million project will be directly

supported by New Zealand’s contribution to

the World Bank Pacific Facility 3.

New agreement for transport infrastructure in Fiji

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the

Government of Fiji signed a $100 million loan

agreement for the Transport Infrastructure

Investment Sector Project.

The project will improve access to markets, schools,

and clinics and boost services for rural communities

by financing civil works to repair and upgrade

existing roads, bridges, and rural jetties.

It will also make transport infrastructure safer and

more durable. The transport loan marks the start of

ADB’s new five-year Country Partnership Strategy

with Fiji for 2014-2018.

The Lesotho Business Registry – Easier business registration

The Lesotho Business Registry, launched in

December 2014, will make registering businesses

faster, cheaper and more accurate.

The New Zealand Companies Office worked with

its Lesotho counterparts to develop the customised

online registry, improve business processes, and

undertake stakeholder engagement.

Two registry staff from Lesotho travelled to

New Zealand to work alongside New Zealand

Companies Office staff and used the knowledge

they gained to lead the user acceptance testing in

preparation for the registry launch.

Business registration is an important part of the

environment that supports sustainable economic

development. It can increase the rights and

access to services for business owners and increase

investor confidence, while also improving

accuracy of information about the economy

and tax revenue for government.

42

SNAPSHOTS of the YEAR

Sorting potatoes in Bamyan,

Afghanistan.

Potatoes stacked and stored in Bamyan, Afghanistan.

Agricultural support in Bamyan increases farmers’ incomes

New Zealand’s support for the Agricultural

Support Programme (ASP) is improving the

incomes of 700 family farms in the Bamyan

province of Afghanistan.

In just one year, the farms in

cooperatives have increased their

annual income by 35 percent.

The increase in income is a result

of higher crop yields for wheat

(80 percent increase) and

potatoes (29 percent increase).

A foundation of ASP was the

construction of Afghanistan’s first

potato pack house. A bio-climatic

warehouse was also constructed in

order to hold up to 1,000 metric tonnes of potatoes

in ideal conditions for long periods of time.

These facilities helped to seal a deal in December

to supply 40,000kg of potatoes a month to the

United States Department of Defence for an initial

period of six months, with an option to renew.

Livestock mortality has also

decreased by 68 percent thanks

to a vaccination programme for

a range of diseases. Beekeeper

training has seen 231 women

selected to take part and the

formation of two cooperatives.

These are the first female-led

and managed cooperatives

in Bamyan.

A further agriculture programme

has been agreed for 2015 to 2017 to enhance the

sustainability of the ASP’s achievements.

Beekeeper training

has seen 231 women

selected to take part and

the formation of two

cooperatives. These are

the first female-led and

managed cooperatives

in Bamyan.

43

On 4 September 2014, Ambassador David Taylor, the Aceh Governor, the Chair of Muhammadiyah National Board, and the Muhammadiyah Banda Aceh Rector opened two new disaster-resilient buildings at Muhammadiyah University in Banda Aceh. They include

20 classrooms, a laboratory, and a library. Nearly 6,000 students use the new buildings.

Based on the increased classroom and laboratory capacity, Muhammadiyah University has received a licence to deliver the only Masters in Public Health programme in Aceh.

Rektor Asy’Ari named the new buildings “Gedung New Zealand” and along with the Governor and Chair of Muhammadiyah, made it clear that the facilities will make a long term and lasting impact in Aceh.

The New Zealand-funded buildings were constructed between February 2013 and August 2014 at a cost of $3 million and replace those destroyed on Boxing Day 2004. Their opening marked a fitting closing milestone on New Zealand’s total $22.8 million post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction support.

On 26 December 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami hit and devastated many coastal areas of Asia.

The scale of the catastrophe was almost unimaginable: hundreds of coastal settlements were destroyed and around 230,000 people in 14 countries lost their lives. Indonesia was closest to the epicentre of the earthquake that triggered the tsunami and was the worst affected country, with around 170,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced. Thailand, India and Sri Lanka were also severely affected.

A worldwide humanitarian response was launched, and in the following years US$14 billion was pledged to help the countries affected to rebuild and recover.

In the 10 years since the tsunami, New Zealand has been assisting in the recovery.

Indian Ocean Tsunami – 10 years on

Ambassador David Taylor at

the opening of new buildings at Muhammadiyah

University in Banda Aceh.

Right Tsunami Museum, Banda Aceh.

Left An aerial view of the vast destruction of the Indonesian coast, between the towns of Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.

Photo: UN

$22.8m NZ’s post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction support

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For more information about the New Zealand Aid Programme, see www.aid.govt.nz

The New Zealand Aid Programmewww.aid.govt.nz