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A local man from Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Ngaakitai Pureariki (Ngaa), has established a flourishing business that is meeting a previously unmet demand in the tourism sector in the Cook Islands.
Ngaa returned to the Cook Islands after living in Australia and due to his interest in learning more about the traditions and cultural history of Aitutaki Ngaa began providing tours of historical sites for tourists on the Island. Ngaa’s knowledge led to him being the principal liaison officer and cultural expert for the United States television programme Survivor when the series was shot on Aitutaki in 2006.
His involvement with tourism industry on Aitutaki allowed Ngaa to spot a potential opportunity in the tourist market. With support from NZAID through the Outer Island Development Grant Fund, Ngaa established a hydroponics business, selling lettuces to local tourist resorts and eateries on Aitutaki and Rarotonga. Although the business originally started out as largely physical work, the demand for the products has seen the business develop and new technologies introduced. Ngaa has expressed his sincere gratitude to NZAID for the initial support of the business. The success of the business to date means Ngaa is now expanding into growing and supplying herbs as well.
Ngaa has recently been selected to attend a young entrepreneur’s workshop run through the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Cook Islands Ministry of Agriculture’s 'Cook Islands Young Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme'. The workshop will focus on improving young farmers’ knowledge of business practices by providing training in management, marketing and agribusiness skills.
For more information about NZAID’s programme in the Cook Islands contact Gloria Rarere.
 - The recently established hydroponics business is meeting a previously unmet demand in the tourism sector in the Cook Islands.
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand is fully supportive of a United States-led initiative to ensure developing countries can fight an influenza pandemic.
President Barack Obama has announced that the United States will give 10 percent of the H1N1 vaccines it produces to developing countries, via the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The WHO predicts that around US$1.5 billion would be needed to lift pandemic preparedness in developing countries as the northern hemisphere winter approaches. The American scheme is in collaboration with efforts by New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Mr McCully noted that "Pandemics such as the H1N1 flu virus require a global response because they know no borders, so the initiative announced by President Obama is very welcome.”
"New Zealand has allocated $7.1 million to help Pacific island nations prepare for a possible pandemic. We have been working closely with Australia, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and the WHO to provide medical supplies and assist with pandemic preparedness planning, and we remain open to providing further assistance if needed,” Mr McCully said.
For more information contact communications@nzaid.govt.nz.
NZAID is seeking submissions from specialists interested in providing consulting services through the NZAID Approved Contractor Scheme.
NZAID’s development assistance programme comprises a range of delivery mechanisms including programme and project aid, capacity building, training, supply of commodities, emergency disaster relief and contributions to international agencies.
The Approved Contractor Scheme provides NZAID pre-selected specialist contractors to undertake short to medium term assignments on request.
The full set of specialist fields being sought and details of how to submit your proposal can be obtained from the Government Electronic Tenders Service website.
The deadline for submission of proposals is 12 noon (NZ Time) Wednesday 4 November 2009.
NZAID is now accepting applications for the Post Graduate Field Research Awards for 2009/10.
The awards aim to enhance New Zealand's contribution to international development knowledge and practice through the promotion of quality student research and analysis.
These awards are available to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents that are undertaking field research in developing countries as part of the requirements of a New Zealand-based Masters degree or Doctorate in a field related to international development. Research should take place over a minimum of four weeks between the period of January 2010 to December 2010
Applications must be received by 1.00pm on Wednesday 25 November 2009.
For more information and to download an application form visit NZAID’s website.
NZAID signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Zealand Defence Force on 24 September to support the reconstruction and humanitarian assistance effort in Afghanistan from 2009 until 2013.
 - Former NZAID Executive Director, Peter Adams (left); and Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae (right) sign the Memorandum.
NZAID’s Currents magazine is an interesting and informative way to find out more about how New Zealand is working to support development and respond to humanitarian crises in our region, and around the world. To receive a free copy of the magazine in the post please contact Nadine Koszler with your mailing details or visit NZAID’s website to download a copy.
The next issue, available in October, has a year in review theme. The issue will look at the challenges and successes across NZAID’s programmes in the 2008/09 financial year and the future directions for NZAID.
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NewZAID updates you in brief on key issues and events on the NZAID agenda. Please click on the useful links included in this newsletter to explore issues in greater depth.
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced New Zealand will provide an initial $1 million donation for immediate disaster relief efforts in Samoa and Tonga following the 30 September earthquake and tsunami.
"This initial contribution will help the governments of Samoa and Tonga to provide essential supplies and personnel to help those in need following the earthquake and tsunami. The money will also go to organisations such as the Red Cross and other New Zealand non-government organisations who are already delivering aid in affected areas," Mr McCully said.
Mr McCully added "The New Zealand Government will help in any way possible during this difficult time. From initial assessments, it is clear there is going to be considerable recovery and reconstruction needs, and we are committed to offering substantial assistance."
Mr McCully also noted "It is also clear that many New Zealanders want to make donations to the various appeals which have now been established. Giving a cash donation - no matter what size - is really the best sort of assistance New Zealanders can provide at this time."
For information on how you can make a donation to the relief effort visit the NZAID website for a full list of appeals.
 - Andrina Thomas speaks at the reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.
On 4 September a publication to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) was launched at a reception hosted by the Speaker, Hon Dr Lockwood Smith, in association with the New Zealand Vice Chancellors Committee.
NZAID provides Commonwealth Scholarships for candidates from selected developing Commonwealth countries to undertake full-time postgraduate study or research at a university in New Zealand. New Zealand universities also fund Commonwealth Scholarships for students from the United Kingdom and Canada. Up to 60 scholars study in New Zealand on Commonwealth Scholarships at any one time.
Reception guests included existing Commonwealth scholars; CSFP alumni; Commonwealth diplomatic representatives; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Chief Executive, John Allen; NZAID staff; and representatives from the tertiary and international education sector.
Andrina Thomas, a current NZAID Commonwealth scholar from Vanuatu who is studying towards a social enterprise PhD at the University of Waikato, officially launched the anniversary publication. She expressed the need for more Ni-Vanuatu women to be encouraged to step up and take the reins of decision-making. On returning to her home country Andrina intends to become a role model and mentor for Ni-Vanuatu women. When she successfully completes her study she will be the first Ni-Vanuatu woman to have gained a PhD.
Commonwealth Scholarships play an important role in addressing the human resource development needs of developing countries. The scholarships are awarded to candidates who are expected to make a significant contribution to the development of their home country following completion of their scholarship. By building capacity in key sectors, Commonwealth Scholarships help contribute to NZAID’s mandate of sustainable development and poverty reduction.
The 50th anniversary of the CSFP publication is available from the NZVCC website. Hard copies of the publication are also being sent to relevant New Zealand embassies and high commissions.
For more information about the Commonwealth Scholarships contact Bridget Nankivell or go to NZAID’s website.
A recent assessment of child trafficking programmes in seven countries in East and Southeast Asia has found that the tides of trafficking have yet to be stemmed despite the best efforts by governments, donors and international and local aid organizations.
The UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) report Child Trafficking in East and Southeast Asia: Reversing the Trend, was released on the eve of the Pacific Trafficking in Persons Forum which took place in Wellington on 2-4 September.
Angela Kearney is a New Zealander who has served with UNICEF in a number of postings including Angola and Afghanistan. She is currently UNICEF’s representative in Indonesia and was in New Zealand to speak at the Forum and she also met with NZAID staff to discuss the report’s findings and UNICEF’s work in Indonesia.
She says that the next step in combating child trafficking is looking at the issues which make children vulnerable to this type of exploitation.
“What the report shows is that we need to look at the issues which affect vulnerable children as a package. Early marriage, sexual exploitation, forced labour and non-attendance at school all make children more vulnerable to being trafficked and these underlying issues need to be addressed in a holistic way,” Ms Kearney said.
The facts
• An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year
• Most of them (girls and boys) are trafficked for sexual exploitation
• As many as 2 million children are sexually exploited around the world annually
• The trafficking industry generates US$12 billion annually (according to estimates from the International Labour Organization).
For the full text of the UNICEF report click here.
Practical components of the Clandestine Laboratory Investigation (clan lab) Training project between the New Zealand Police and their Filipino equivalents were successfully completed late last month. The project involved three New Zealand Police officers and an Environmental Science and Research scientist conducting a comprehensive two-week clan lab course for Filipino counter-narcotics agencies in the Philippines.
Mindanao, in the Philippines, is a major centre for methamphetamine production for supply to the domestic Filipino market, and to wider markets in Malaysia, China, Taiwan and the United States. The growing drug problem and addiction levels negatively impact crime rates, and contribute to poor health and overall poverty in the area.
Funded by NZAID’s New Zealand State Sector Development Partnerships Fund (formerly the Government Agencies Fund), specialist counter-narcotics training was provided to participants from the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency, the Philippines National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation. New Zealand Police also donated safety kits to provide ongoing protection for Filipino officers taking part in clan lab investigations, helping to raise occupational health and safety standards in the respective agencies.
In addition, a community outreach programme has begun in Mindanao in order to build community awareness of clan lab activities. An educational open day has been held to foster awareness of the drug problem and strengthen the relationship between counter-narcotics agencies and local communities. Educational materials have also been produced to be displayed in communities.
Transferring New Zealand Police skills and knowledge has allowed positive steps to be made in order to tackle illegal drug activities in the Philippines and encourage an environment conducive to sustainable development.
Note: Following a review the Government Agencies Fund (GAF) has been relaunched as the New Zealand State Sector Development Partnerships Fund (DPF). The new fund aligns with NZAID’s mandate and policy changes, and is more tightly focused on supporting sustainable economic development.
The goal for the DPF is to contribute to prosperity, stability and poverty reduction in partner countries by improving the conditions for broad-based sustainable economic development. The DPF offers New Zealand government departments and agencies, Crown entities, Crown research institutes, and local government the opportunity to access funding to undertake activities within their specific fields in a developing country. NZAID’s DPF takes a whole-of-government approach to international development.
For more information about the DPF visit NZAID’s website.
Cadbury New Zealand and Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand have announced a commitment for Cadbury Dairy Milk® to achieve Fairtrade Certification by Easter 2010. The move means cocoa growers in Ghana and other parts of the world can look forward to increased sales and income, helping to improve living standards and create a better future for their families and communities.
Fairtrade is a distinctive, independent system providing farmers with the security of fair prices for their produce and further investment for social, environmental and economic development in their communities.
Fairtrade Executive Director Steve Knapp recognised that Cadbury’s commitment to using Fairtrade Certified™ cocoa was a landmark step from a local, market-leading chocolate manufacturer. “This announcement sets a new standard for the mainstream chocolate industry in New Zealand and will open up new Fairtrade opportunities for cocoa farmers in our corner of the world,” he said.
Cadbury’s commitment to use Fairtrade Certified™ cocoa made it the first major chocolate manufacturer in New Zealand to make the move to Fairtrade certification.
Managing Director of Cadbury New Zealand Matthew Oldham said “By making this change, we are effectively making Fairtrade Certified™ Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate available in every part of New Zealand at no extra cost to our customers. It’s Cadbury Dairy Milk with the same taste, same cost, but extra ethics”.
NZAID funds the Fairtrade Labelling Association of Australia and New Zealand to promote use of the Fairtrade label. NZAID also funds the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand to help raise consumer awareness in New Zealand about fair trade issues and to increase the access of Fairtrade certified products in the New Zealand retail sector. In addition NZAID provides Trade Aid Importers Limited with a substantial grant for capacity development, product development advice and product price subsidies. This enables Trade Aid to have trading relationships with the most disadvantaged groups.
For more information about NZAID’s support for Fairtrade contact Sally Jackman.
Earlier this month the United Nations (UN) agreed to set up a stronger, better resourced agency on gender equality and women's empowerment. The goal is for the agency to be up and running by early 2010 in time for the 15th anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
The new agency is intended to strengthen and consolidate the way the UN protects women's rights, promotes women's involvement in development and peace-building, and continues to work towards gender equality. The UN has recognised women's involvement is essential in reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
The decision, made on September 14 by the UN General Assembly, follows three years of negotiations at which all UN member states (including New Zealand), and many non-government organisations, were represented. It is a significant outcome of a wider UN reform process called System Wide Coherence that began in 2006, which is aimed at making the UN's work in development more effective and consistent.
The agency will be formed by merging four existing UN women's entities: the Development Fund for Women, the Office of the Special Advisor for Gender Issues, the Division for the Advancement of Women, and the United Nations International Research Training Institute for the Advancement of Women.
NZAID and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have worked closely on the resolution, with significant input from the New Zealand Embassy in New York, the location of the UN headquarters.
For more information about the new women’s rights office contact Jane Coster.
 - Vaccinations have helped to reduce the number of child deaths worldwide. UN Photo/ Marie Frechon.
UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) has reported the number of children dying before their fifth birthday has decreased from 1990 levels and fell to under nine million in 2008. The decrease is largely due to greater use of health interventions such as vaccinations and insecticide-treated bed-nets to prevent malaria.
Newly released data collected by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the United Nations Population Division shows a 28 percent decline in the under-five mortality rate, from 90 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990, to 65 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008.
The total number of child deaths in 2008 declined to an estimated 8.8 million from 12.5 million in 1990, the base line year for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the internationally agreed development targets that include reducing under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015.
Compared to 1990, some 10,000 fewer children are dying every day. UNICEF noted that progress has been made in every part of the world, and even in some of the least-developed countries.
At the same time, UNICEF stated that while progress has been made in many countries, Africa and Asia combined still account for 93 per cent of all under-five deaths that occur each year in the developing world. Unless child mortality in these regions can be considerably reduced, the under-five mortality MDG target will potentially not be met.
The New Zealand Government, through NZAID, is a strong supporter of UNICEF’s work. New Zealand’s contribution of NZ$6 million in the 2008/09 financial year provided funding for UNICEF’s core work.
For more information contact Stephenie Knight.
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