08/10/2026
This is how New Zealand chooses to relate to communities in other parts of the world - planning to cut funding for development and humanitarian assistance that is already well below the OECD average, even as it moves to double the current shocking level of military spending to 2% of GDP
Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo Auckland Women's Centre National Council of Women of New Zealand National Council of Women - Auckland Branch
This is how New Zealand chooses to relate to communities in other parts of the world - planning to cut funding for development and humanitarian assistance that is already well below the OECD average, even as it moves to double the current shocking level of military spending to 2% of GDP.
The National party has said that, if re-elected in November, it will cut “foreign aid” by 10% to help fund “more medicines for Kiwis at home”, but the figures don’t add up. According to the RNZ report*, $431.2 million would be cut from foreign aid spending but the entire budget allocation for MFAT this year for everything - including Official Development Assistance, climate funding etc - was $1,983,000,000: 10% of that is $198.3 million, nowhere near the $431.2 million cut.
So, either the cut will be more than 20% of MFAT’s entire budget, or it is a cut to be staggered over several years ... which, curiously, was not mentioned.
This has been announced at a time when the obvious place to cut funding to eliminate wasteful spending to fund essential public services such as healthcare continues to be ignored: instead, the cost of pursuing a range of militaristic fantasies as New Zealand seeks to be a combat capable “force multiplier” with “enhanced lethality and deterrent effect” - allocated more than $5.8 billion in this year’s Budget - is to be doubled over the next six years to meet a (now expired) NATO target of 2% of GDP.
Whether or not this will include the full cost of pursuing two (possibly more) absolutely unnecessary new frigates remains to be seen - either way, it is a shameful waste of public money that could clearly be put to better use.
👉🏼 Find out more about the costs and consequences of New Zealand’s military spending at https://www.facebook.com/PeaceMovementAotearoa/posts/1447324470758014
* ‘Election 2026: ‘National promises to cut foreign aid to boost Pharmac's budget, cancer screenings’, RNZ, 6 October 2026, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/1754401/election-2026-national-promises-to-cut-foreign-aid-to-boost-pharmac-s-budget-cancer-screenings and ‘More medicines for Kiwis at home’, Simeon Brown, 6 October 2026, https://www.national.org.nz/news/261006-simeonbrown
# fans Pax Christi Aotearoa Pacific Network on Globalisation Pacific Conference of Churches Quakers in Nelson Peace Action Ōtautahi Oxfam in the Pacific DIVA for Equality FIJI Pacific Islands Climate Action Network - PICAN GCOMS - Global Campaign on Military Spending Global Campaign on Military Spending UK Sandra Grey NZCTU Fiji Women's Rights Movement Peace Pledge Union Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
