Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

With respect to Fiji, our commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law
will remain undiluted. We will explore ways of working with the regime in Fiji to return
the country to democratic rule.
Labour will integrate our policies in the Pacific across immigration, climate change
and environment, and issues of governance. Each of these policy areas needs to
have a discrete capacity to address the Pacific.
Labour‟s approach to Overseas Development Assistance
Labour has long promoted effective overseas development assistance aimed at the
elimination of poverty, the provision of adequate and accessible education and health
services, and the progress of sustainable development in order to achieve those goals
permanently.
The National government‟s approach has been to place primary emphasis on economic
development, taking the focus off poverty elimination except where it can be achieved
through economic development, predominantly in conjunction with the private sector. This
risks undervaluing access to quality education and health services as legitimate, if not
paramount, aid goals. In their enthusiasm to promote economic growth through the aid
programme the National government has failed to ask who benefits from growth: the poor or
the elites.
Labour will take this opportunity to reformulate our approach, ensuring proper accountability
and international best practice in our ODA contribution.
Labour will refocus the mandate of the development programme on the elimination of
poverty, together with sustainable economic development, in order to build just,
prosperous and secure societies.
Economic development is an important means to the ultimate goal of poverty elimination.
Having one clear goal (poverty elimination) allows greater accountability.
It is also important that development assistance is seen as a pillar of our foreign policy,
alongside defence, security, trade and diplomacy.
Restoring NZAID
National shut down NZAID as an organisation and moved the aid programme back into
MFAT, with the explicit aim of aligning the aid programme with foreign policy goals. This has
undermined the credibility and legitimacy of the aid programme.
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