priorities
p. 41 · Read in the full issue
Pacific aid gets NZ priorities
New Zealand government to government aid in the South Pacific last year amounted to 5NZ29.3 million.
In addition, about SNZ7OO 000 was made avail able to the South Pacific Com mission and the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co
operation.
The government to govern ment aid in the South Pacific amounted to 67 percent of New Zealand’s total aid to develop
ing countries throughout the
world. The Cook Islands and
Fiji were the biggest aid recipi
ents in the Pacific Islands.
New Zealand spent 0.36% of its gross national product on official development assist-
ance, a slight decline from the previous year. The New Zealand Government de scribes the decline as reflecting a continued restraint on aid
brought about by internal
economic circumstances.
In determining its aid grants the official New Zealand atti tude is that it ‘responds where
possible to the developmental
needs of selected countries’.
Except in instances where a di rect association exists no tably the Cook Islands the
aid is paid for specific projects and is not direct budget sup port. About half the Cook Islands aid is direct budget sup port.
In allocating project aid in the Pacific Islands New Zealand has given emphasis to
productive sector development
including livestock and pasture
improvement programmes,
forestry, agricultural crops and
fisheries.
Details of New Zealand government to government aid in the South Pacific last year, expressed in thousands of dol lars, was; Solomon Islands 384 Cook Islands 6 253 Fiji 4 956 Kiribati 343 New Hebrides 150 Niue 3 215 Papua New Guinea 2 227 Tokelau 1 049 Tonga 2 314 Tuvalu 29 Western Samoa 3 829 Regional 4 581 Total 29 330
Deputy Prime Minister Brian Tal boys sees a vigorous Island re sponse’ to NZ policies.