Our priorities

Sectors or sub-themes 

• Climate Change
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Environmental Protection and Restoration

Why we work in this area

Climate change and environmental degradation are one of the most important long-term challenges, with significant and cross-cutting social, economic, cultural, and political implications globally. For communities in the Pacific, changes in the climate and environment can undermine hard-won development gains and could drive families from their homes. 

What we are trying to achieve

Support an effective global response to climate change, and the protection, maintenance and restoration of natural environments, to improve Pacific resilience.

What we do

• Provide policy leadership and promote and deliver ambitious regional and global action on climate change and environment.
• Support countries to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, including improving evidence-based, climate-resilient planning, access to climate finance, and nature-based adaptation.
• Support sustainable natural resource management, reduce and manage pollution, and improve resilience of ecosystems.
• Support the mainstreaming of climate change considerations into development planning.

Sectors or sub-themes

• Economic impacts of COVID-19
• Economics & Public Finance
• Economics & Policy Reform
• Remittances
• Trade & Economic Development

Why we work in this area

Well-functioning economies deliver benefits including higher and equitable distribution of incomes for households, better economic and social inclusion, and environmental and fiscal sustainability. Our work in economics aims to promote macroeconomic and fiscal stability, economic inclusion, strong business-enabling environments, and transparent and affordable remittances services. Economic resilience is also important as it underpins our development efforts across all our thematic areas.

What we are trying to achieve

Inclusive, growing, resilient, and sustainable economies, with a focus on the Pacific.

What we do

• Collaborate with partner countries on macroeconomic and public finance reforms to support their economic resilience, including through the provision of budget support.
• Support improved private sector enabling environments and financial market development to grow the role of the private sector in achieving development outcomes and facilitating remittance flows.
• Promote improved intra-regional trade in the Pacific, underpinned by the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus free trade agreement. 

Sectors or sub-themes

• Early Childhood Education
• Secondary Education
• Post-secondary education and training
• Skill development and training

Why we work in this area

Advancing equitable access to quality education is a global priority and acts as a multiplier for other outcomes. Investments in education are critical for improving social cohesion, cultural and economic well-being, and promoting more inclusive and democratic societies. We invest in education and skills development to maximise capabilities and growth that facilitate more equitable and inclusive opportunities for learners at all levels, including the most vulnerable.  

What we are trying to achieve

People acquire the skills, attributes, and values they need to thrive in a changing world

What we do 

• Strengthen education systems through long-term partnerships with national, regional, multilateral and NZ Inc partners.
• Support inclusive and equitable access to quality and relevant learning opportunities from early childhood through to tertiary and post-secondary education and training.
• Support the development of innovative, contextualised, sustainable approaches to improve teacher quality, learning continuity, access to teaching and learning resources and promote local culture and values.

Sectors or sub-themes 

• Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
• Child and Youth Wellbeing
• Human Rights

Why we work in this area

Aotearoa New Zealand has committed to kaua tētahi e whakarērea / leave no one behind, in order for people to have equitable opportunities to benefit from growth now, through crises, and in future generations. Equity, inclusivity, and human rights are critical for enabling effective, resilient, and sustainable development, and support economic growth and stability.

What we are trying to achieve

Transformative change through advancing equitable and inclusive realisation of human rights, particularly for people and groups at risk of being left behind.

What we do 

• Support governments and communities to respect, protect and fulfil human rights for all people with greater focus on inclusion for persons with disabilities, persons of diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC), and indigenous persons.
• Advance women in leadership, accelerate progress towards elimination of violence against women and girls in all their diversity, improve women’s economic status, and strengthen women’s education and health.
• Apply a holistic multi-sectoral development approach across the life-cycle to strengthen child and youth well-being.
• Support social protection responses to lift the most vulnerable out of hardship and exclusion, particularly for responding to Covid-19 implications and building resilience for future crises.

Sectors or sub-themes 

• Transparency and Accountability
• Institutional Capacity and Capability
• Access to Justice 

Why we work in this area

Effective governance is critical for sustainable development and underpins our development efforts across all our thematic areas. It is a vital part of the contract between governments and citizens, enhances resilience and supports national and regional stability and security. Governance challenges in the Pacific include service delivery across small, dispersed populations that impact on cost and reach, and a complex mixture of Western and customary institutions and traditions that complicates democratic governance reform.

What we are trying to achieve

Strengthened effective governance in support of inclusive and resilient development across the Pacific and beyond.

What we do 

• Improve transparency and accountability through support for open, democratic processes and institutions, engaged communities, Pacific-led anti-corruption efforts, national audit processes, and an active media and civil society.
• Build institutional capacity and capability to deliver better national and local government outcomes.
• Improve access to justice for all through working with national and local justice mechanisms.

Why we work in this area

Good health is both a means to achieving inclusive and sustainable development, and a critical development goal in its own right. Societies and economies cannot thrive without healthy populations, and inequality in health care delivery constrains sustainable development. COVID-19 has illuminated existing health sector weaknesses in the Pacific and demonstrated that health sector investment is critical for economic prosperity and social cohesion.

What we are trying to achieve

Strengthened Pacific health systems that can withstand health security threats and deliver sustainable and inclusive health services.

What we do

• Strengthen health systems with a focus on primary health care.
• Improve outcomes in health in the areas of non-communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health and rights, maternal and child health.
• Provide support for targeted life-saving medical and surgical treatment.
• Deepen linkages between Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesian countries to strengthen health systems in Polynesian countries through the Polynesian Health Corridors Programme.
• Improve health security through support for COVID-19 health sector preparedness and response (including access to COVID-19 vaccines) and resilience building for future pandemics and ongoing health security threats including climate change.

Sectors or sub-themes 

• Agriculture
• Tourism
• Digital
• e-Government
• Private Sector
• Investment 

Why we work in this area

Digital transformation, private sector development, tourism, and agriculture are sectors that all support sustainable and resilient economic growth. These key sectors help create jobs and income, promote food security, contribute to public revenues, grow productivity and innovation, and support functioning markets to deliver goods and services. In the Pacific, innovation in these areas is critical to overcome the economic constraints of small populations, geographic dispersion, limited opportunities for economic diversification, international market supply chain issues, limited access to finance, capacity constraints within the public sector, and dependence on increasingly fragile natural environments.

What we are trying to achieve

To contribute to sustainable and resilient economic growth in the Pacific, ASEAN and African regions in key areas of digital transformation, private sector development, tourism, and agriculture. 

What we do 

• Provide support for Pacific businesses to grow trade, investment, and employment through access to finance, workforce capability, and productivity and innovation initiatives.
• Increase the participation of Pacific businesses in global and Pacific value chains through inclusive market systems that contribute to food security, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion.
• Support governments to improve policy, regulation, and service delivery that relates to industrial sectors.
• Engage with the private sector, industry, science, technology and innovation ecosystems to facilitate commercial and innovation opportunities with development outcomes.

Sectors or sub-themes 

• Infrastructure
• Energy
• Transport

Why we work in this area

Access to modern and resilient infrastructure and services is essential for economic prosperity, social well-being and regional interconnectedness. The Asian Development Bank estimates the annual infrastructure investment needs in the Pacific at US$3.1 billion per year. Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy services is fundamental to economic and social development. Safe and secure connectivity through transport services to, from and within the Pacific is crucial for the delivery of essential goods and services and for social and economic development. 

What we are trying to achieve

Improved access to modern, safe, reliable and climate-resilient infrastructure and services.

What we do 

• Support the delivery of modern infrastructure and services that address climate change and strengthen resilience.
• Provide policy leadership and strategic direction to ensure that infrastructure, energy and transport investments translate to positive development outcomes.
• Promote access to high-quality finance and expertise for the delivery of critical infrastructure and services.

Sectors or sub-themes 

• Pacific Ocean
• Pacific Fisheries

Why we work in this area

The Pacific ocean is critical to Pacific identity, livelihoods, economies, security, culture, and wellbeing. The sustainable management of the rich fisheries are essential for economic resilience, food security, and livelihoods, especially in the face of COVID-19. Our special relationship with Tokelau also places requirements on us to support the management of its exclusive economic zone.

What we are trying to achieve

Safeguarding the life-supporting capacity of the Pacific Ocean nd supporting the sustainable management of fisheries to enhance Pacific livelihoods, economies, security, culture, and wellbeing.

What we do 

• Amplify the Pacific voice on oceans and fisheries at the global level
• Strengthen ocean governance and fisheries management.
• Reduce illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing and improving maritime security.
• Improve economic returns and employment conditions in Pacific fisheries.
• Strengthen informed decision-making through ocean science and indigenous knowledge.
• Address the effects of climate change, marine plastics and other threats to the ocean environment.

Why we work in this area

New Zealand has a strong interest in developing partner countries achieving resilient and sustainable economic and social development.  Peace and security provide an essential foundation to enable this to take place. International development cooperation activities that promote durable and inclusive peace and security also support local, national and regional resilience in the face of external shocks.  

What we are trying to achieve

To promote stability and security in the Pacific region and in fragile and conflict-affected contexts further afield (including in South and South East Asia and the Middle East). We do this by supporting partners at the local, national and regional levels to identify and address risks that threaten peace and security in an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way, including as envisaged in the Boe Declaration on Regional Security.

What we do 

• Contribute to the maintenance of peace through international development cooperation activities that encourage peacebuilding in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, including by supporting good governance, political processes, human rights, social cohesion and initiatives to enhance stability.
• Partner with Pacific security sector agencies (including police, customs, immigration and aviation security) through international development cooperation activities that build capability to manage internal security challenges and address transboundary security threats, in a manner consistent with human rights.
• Assist in addressing immediate risks to peace and security by contributing to international humanitarian relief efforts in conflict-affected contexts, and to post-conflict recovery and stabilisation efforts through our international development cooperation activities.
• Work with partners to identify and address underlying drivers of instability and insecurity in their local context (including climate-related insecurity, inequality and poverty) through international development cooperation activities across a range of different thematic focus areas.