Rock legend and humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof today accused the Government of being mean over foreign aid, saying its contribution was pathetic and a disgrace.
But Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Sir Bob has his facts wrong and should have been better briefed.
Sir Bob, 54, in New Zealand to speak at a business leadership conference, said the 0.27 per cent of gross national income (GNI) the Government gave to impoverished countries was stingy.
Bob Geldof says NZ Govt are stingy. at 0.27% of GNI gross national income should the Govt up the contribution or tell him to ''beat it''?
"The charity Oxfam has shown that, even under the existing unfair (trade) system, the poor world obtains thirty-two times as much revenue from exports as it receives from aid. If the poor nations increased their share of world export by only five per cent, they would reap an extra $350 billion a year, seven times more than they currently obtain from aid. Its simulations suggest that a one per cent increase in the share of world exports for each developing region would reduce the number of people in extreme poverty by 128 million, or twelve per cent of the worlds total. The decline would be greatest in those regions suffering the greatest poverty, namely sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Poverty can appear to many of the rich world's people as something of an abstraction. It might be easier to understand when we recognise that the immediate cause of famine is not drought or crop failure, but the poorest citizens' lack of purchasing power. As food stocks decline, the price rises, and even if there is, in absolute terms, enough for everyone, the poor have no means of obtaining it. Poverty, for many of the world's people, means death by starvation or one of the diseases associated with it.
If trade is the only likely means of distributing wealth from rich nations to poor ones, it should also be clear that this distribution cannot take place unless there are rules, agreed to by all those who participate, which prevent the rich from exploiting the poor." (George Monbiot).
I think there's more important things contributing to poverty than New Zealand's lack of aid...
yes the Govt should dig into their millions of coffers and up the ante or % like what other Western countrys give. we cant be that selfish.
i was abit annoyed with Geldof on TV3 he is saying NZ are killing the poor by not giving enuff?? what a cheek, get a hair cut and get a real job!! to much time on his hands. we have our own poor to take care of thankyou very much
im personally getting sick of collectors every 5minutes :(
i have my own family to support. Maybe the collectors should give me something this time. ive paid my fair share!