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In the first week of September development ministers and officials from around the world met in Accra, Ghana to discuss urgent reforms to government aid systems. NZAID Executive Director, Peter Adams, Jackie Frizelle and Roger Cornforth represented NZAID in Accra.
The Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness was an opportunity for donor countries and developing countries to come together and address a range of issues around how aid is delivered to ensure it benefits those who need it most.
While there has been a great deal of focus on the amount of aid money given to developing countries, the Accra Forum looked at how the impact of aid can be maximised, by improving its quality as well as increasing its quantity.
At the conclusion of the Forum participants joined together in endorsing the Accra Agenda for Action, which identifies 10 priorities for improving aid effectiveness, including giving developing countries greater ownership over aid programmes, improving the predictability of assistance, and building capacity in developing countries.
Experience has shown that if countries are to overcome poverty, they must show leadership, and be supported to do so. This means developing countries setting their own priorities, devising coherent plans, and building up their own systems to manage aid and other resources.
By working with other organisations, communities and governments within developing countries, New Zealand provides aid that goes beyond just financial contributions. It helps develop infrastructure and expertise, and is targeted to goals identified by the countries themselves.
We know how to make aid work and Accra was an opportunity for donors and developing countries alike to commit to turning this knowledge into action.
For more information contact jackie.frizelle@nzaid.govt.nz
NZAID and the Government of Tuvalu have now commenced the Ship to Shore Transport Project. A Partnership Arrangement between NZAID and the Government of Tuvalu was signed in June.
It is a major infrastructure commitment for both New Zealand and Tuvalu that aims to upgrade reef channels and other facilities in the eight outer islands to facilitate better and safer movement of people and goods.
The Government of Tuvalu will implement the project over a five-year period with support from NZAID to 'improve quality, safety and cost effectiveness of the transport services to the outer islands'.
The project is aimed at making lasting safety improvements for the transfer of passengers from the ship to the shore, and speeding up transport operations to outer islands of Tuvalu through improvements in cargo packaging and handling.
For more information please contact karen.soanes@nzaid.govt.nz
September saw the signing of two assistance packages covering education and policing with the Cook Islands.
The support for the education sector will total $8 million over the next two years and will help realise the Cook Islands government’s policy aim of achieving equal opportunities in education.
The funding will support the Cook Islands School Refurbishment programme, the Ministry of Education’s Education Support Programme (primary and secondary), and in-country training, scholarships and short-term training awards.
The assistance will see NZAID moving towards supporting the education sector in the Cook Islands as a whole rather than focusing on individual projects. This Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) will give a greater leadership role to the Cook Islands agencies and will help ensure a coordinated approach for NZAID support in this area.
The policing initiative will support the partnership between NZAID, New Zealand Police and the Cook Islands Police and begins a multi-year programme to build capacity in areas such as community policing, frontline investigation skills, negotiations and road policing. In the first year $620,000 is allocated to this programme.
Since a review of the Cook Islands Police Department was conducted in 2006, the Commissioner of Police has been addressing the short-term operational needs of the Cook Islands Police while also adopting a longer-term programme of institutional strengthening.
The arrangement also makes provision for a New Zealand Police advisor to live and work in the Cook Islands, to share skills and further develop the working relationship between the two agencies.
By supporting the work New Zealand Police are doing with their Cook Islands counterparts, NZAID is contributing to its vision for a safe and just world free of poverty through the strengthening of law and justice.
For more information contact julie.affleck@nzaid.govt.nz
The NZAID tools are now available on the web - on this site you will find tools and resources developed by NZAID staff to assist with the planning, management and monitoring of the aid programme. We hope these will be useful for everyone who works with NZAID.
Please take a look at the tools website by visiting nzaidtools.nzaid.govt.nz or go to www.nzaid.govt.nz and follow the tools link on the left hand banner.
Feedback is always welcome.
For more information please contact michelle.taggart@nzaid.govt.nz
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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.
 - The new Niue Public Service Building, which is nearing completion.
New Zealand’s ongoing commitment to Niue has been highlighted in recent months with the delivery of four significant construction and infrastructure projects.
First to the finishing line was the power house, built following a fire in May 2006 which razed the previous power house. The refurbished and re-equipped power house has fuel efficient diesel generators and a control system that can adjust load, avoid spikes, and shut down the generators the moment a problem is detected. Included in the costs of supplying this vital amenity is a complete set of tools that will facilitate the maintenance of the new generators.
Another in the suite of infrastructure projects nearing completion is the Niue Public Service Building, designed to accommodate some of Niue’s public sector employees in conditions that will support and enhance their effectiveness. The new Public Service Building will consolidate the core public service workforce, which is currently working from a range of old houses and other structures, in one purpose built facility.
The new building has been designed to maximise natural light, air flow, and to be as energy efficient as possible. Bright colours have been used to enhance the design, and local materials and workers have been used wherever possible in the construction phase. One-third of the cost of the Public Service Building was provided by the Government of France.
A further work programme has also revitalised the parliament buildings of Niue – the Fale Fono – which accommodates all Ministers and parliamentarians, as well as the Legislative Chamber. Interior public areas on both floors of the building have been repainted, all faulty fixtures and fittings have been replaced, toilets have been completely refurbished, and a general spruce up has given the Fale Fono a new lease of life.
Last, but by no means least, the Public Works Department (PWD) has a new depot to house both office accommodation and to service and shelter heavy plant (such as bulldozers, graders, concrete mixers) used by the PWD to develop and maintain critical infrastructure all over the island. This longrun steel, open span structure will provide the PWD with an appropriately fitted out workshop and heavy plant repair and maintenance depot for many years to come.
All together, these structures have cost approximately $3.75 million. Between them they ensure that some of the core functions of government and essential services will continue to be provided for the benefit of the people of Niue.
For more information contact jonathan.rowe@nzaid.govt.nz
New Zealand will continue aid and development efforts in the Kingdom of Tonga with a focus on governance and civil society, broad-based growth and sustainable livelihoods and education.
The NZAID/Tonga country strategy was launched in Nuku’alofa on 11 September 2008.
The strategy represents a well-developed plan for how aid money is to be spent in Tonga and is essential to making sure our aid makes real difference to those living in hardship.
Over the 10-year period of this strategy, NZAID will deliver resources in excess of $120 million to support Tonga in achieving its development goals, signalling New Zealand’s commitment to investing in aid and development in this close neighbouring country.
The strategy’s overarching aim is to reduce hardship in Tonga through activities that provide good governance, equitable access to quality education and increased economic opportunities.
The Government of Tonga has asked for NZAID’s economic development assistance to be focused on tourism, and technical and vocational training. NZAID is responding by designing new programmes in these areas in conjunction with the Tongan Government.
Tonga is currently New Zealand’s fifth largest bilateral aid recipient with an annual programme of $12 million.
For more information contact kirsty.burnett@nzaid.govt.nz
 - Community volunteers put the finishing touches to a water collection tank. Photo courtesy of SurfAid.
SurfAid International is delivering clean water to Nias communities – some for the first time – after completing 99 water projects on the island which was devastated by the March 2005 earthquake.
The earthquake badly affected the water supply as it lifted coral reefs on the west and south coasts by one to three metres, raising the level of many community wells above the water table. Wells were also destroyed or badly damaged so SurfAid undertook a joint Watsan (water and sanitation) programme with UNICEF and NZAID, which started last year.
The 99 facilities, in 26 villages in Sirombu and Teluk Dalam, include new water tanks, tapped spring water systems, new and reconditioned wells, rainwater harvesting systems and two separate types of latrines.
All have been constructed with community participation. SurfAid’s Watsan team provided the materials and expertise, and the local communities provided the labour and any locally available component materials, such as stones and gravel.
In one of the projects, water is now being pumped up to the village of Hilitobara, near Teluk Dalam, for the first time, saving untold hours of effort from women and children who have been carting water daily uphill for more than a kilometre.
Following the success of this first Watsan programme, a second phase has already been planned for Nias and has commenced with an assessment of eight villages in Afulu and Alasa. SurfAid is currently raising money to fund this programme.
SurfAid is also assessing the feasibility of extending the Watsan programme to the Mentawai Islands, which lie south of Nias. The Mentawai was badly affected by two major earthquakes, measuring 8.4 and 7.9 on the Richter scale, in September last year.
For more information visit www.surfaidinternational.org
Initial data from a survey conducted in August shows that more effective health education has led to reduced risks for women in Binh Dinh province of Viet Nam. The results show dramatic improvement in knowledge and practices compared with an initial survey conducted in 2003.
Data was gathered from households living in 60 communes of the province – 30 in the delta/coastal region and 30 from the remote mountainous region where most ethnic minority peoples live.
Women and men have significantly improved their knowledge of danger signs during and after pregnancy. The percentage of women not knowing any sign of danger during pregnancy reduced from an alarming 49 percent in 2003 to 7 percent in delta regions of the province and 16 percent in mountainous regions. The number of men unable to recognise danger signs during pregnancy has more than halved since 2003, and awareness about danger signs after pregnancy, have also improved markedly amongst men and women from both regions.
The survey also showed that 97 percent of deliveries in the delta and 82 percent in the mountains were performed at public health facilities compared with only 60 percent five years earlier – decreasing the risk of maternal mortality. Women are also now more likely to seek assistance from public health facilities for problems arising after childbirth than they were in the past. Another encouraging trend is that more husbands are escorting their partners to delivery than in 2003.
Women's knowledge about contraceptive use, sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive tract infections has improved, and HIV and AIDS testing is likely to increase with respondents much better informed about their rights in relation to HIV and AIDS testing.
While these results are very positive, it is clear from the initial data that challenges remain, particularly in relation to knowledge amongst adolescents – the parents of the future. There was no real reduction in the percentage of adolescents not knowing any contraceptive methods and one-fifth did not know where to get condoms in their communes. The survey suggests that more effective channels are needed to make information available to adolescents.
Behaviour change communication programmes and provision of information are a key component of the NZAID-supported Maternal Child Health project in Binh Dinh province. The project ends in December.
For more information contact John Egan, NZAID Manager john.egan@nzaid.govt.nz
The FRANZ (France, Australia, and New Zealand) Annual Partners Meeting 2008, took place on 23 September in Wellington.
In the Pacific, France, Australia and New Zealand are the three key national responders to natural disasters and collectively, the response is facilitated via the FRANZ Agreement.
The three partners undertake to coordinate disaster reconnaissance activities and to share information on emergency aid delivery. A key component of this response is defence support.
This cooperation aims to maintain a structure of readiness and coordination, so that aid can rapidly be delivered to States and Territories in the South Pacific in the event of a natural disaster. FRANZ partners have worked together several times in the past year or so, most notably in the joint response to the Solomon Islands earthquake and tsunami in April 2007.
This is achieved through sharing information and resources at the civil and military level. The French, Australian, and New Zealand governments also support States in the South Pacific to develop their own plans and processes for responding to natural disasters, and assist with understanding and mitigating risks.
On the New Zealand side the meeting was attended by representatives from NZAID (which has the responsibility for coordinating FRANZ on behalf of the New Zealand government), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.
Topics covered included options for strengthening the way in which the partners respond, the role of UN and regional agencies in Disaster Risk Management in the Pacific; and early forecasts and preparations for the upcoming cyclone season.
For more information contact michael.hartfield@nzaid.govt.nz
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