Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta outlines Aotearoa’s commitment to the Pacific through locally-led development in her keynote address at the recent DevNet 2022 conference held in Auckland.
DevNet is the New Zealand International Development Studies Network that connects people and organisations working in or researching international development.
Minister Mahuta acknowledged the challenges the world is facing with the ongoing impact of the global pandemic, climate change, crisis and conflict. She says they want to ‘move beyond the donor/donee mentality’.
The Minister spoke about the work of New Zealand company Downer in Niue and the ajor aviation infrastructure renewal at the Hanan International Airport. Minister Mahuta says this ‘will sustain the benefits of this activity far beyond our funding, and the completion of the project.’
She also stated that they’re supporting local partners that promote inclusion in their communities like the Pacific Feminist Fund, a Pacific-led women’s movement that promotes gender equality and women empowerment, amplifying the voices of local female leaders and providing resources to strengthen those networks across the Pacific.
The Minister paid tribute to the Polynesian Health Corridors Programme that existed before the pandemic and that they were able to successfully adapt and respond when the virus came to the Pacific, mainly because of its locally-led approach. The programme was delivered through the Ministry of Health and she adds it was built upon collaboration with departments and ministries of health in the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.
She also noted the effect the pandemic had on small and medium Pacific enterprises, stating that the Business Link Pacific programme supports these companies through a locally-led approach by providing services like digital transformation, accounting, and marketing.
Addressing the issue of climate change, the Minister says that local solutions are needed and that it is “the defining global challenge of our time.”
The Minister spoke of her visit to the Kingdom of Tonga in August, where she launched the Aotearoa New Zealand International Climate Finance Strategy — Tuia te Waka a Kiwa, described as “an outline of how we plan to deliver high impact adaptation and mitigation initiatives, to operate at scale, leverage funding from a broader range of sources, and strengthen partnerships.”
In conclusion Minister Mahuta emphasised the importance of Pacific cultural frameworks and how locally-led development is key to deepening relationships between communities and will help to navigate the challenging times ahead.
