World Poverty Day - New Zealand events

18 October 2007

"We're not asking for charity but justice." These were the words of one of the organizers at the recent Stand Up and Speak event in Wellington.

Gail McKenzie from the Art of Living foundation told the group gathered in Wellington in support of International Poverty Day (October 17) that political will is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The United Nations goals, which set out eight specific targets aimed at significantly reducing extreme poverty by 2015, were signed by world leaders, including our Prime Minister Helen Clark, back in 2000.

The goals include halving the estimated 1.2-billion people that live in extreme poverty - on less than US$1-a-day.

Council for International Development Executive Director, Rae Julian told the gathered crowd in Wellington that international poverty was an issue that the New Zealand Government needed to do its share to combat.

She said she was concerned that although the Labour-led coalition had promised to increase aid to 0.35 percent of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2010, even more concerning was that National had yet to commit even to that goal.

Green MP Keith Locke agreed and said that New Zealand, which currently gives 0.3 percent of Gross National Income in aid, needs to set a timetable to reach the internationally-agreed goal of giving 0.7 percent in aid by 2015.

He also pointed to a lack of a fair trading system and the fact that far more money flows out of poor countries and into the coffers of rich countries as issues that needed addressing.

Keith Locke said much of the $1-trillion dollars spent annually on armaments, in places like Iraq and Burma, was money taken away from development.

Maori MP, Hone Harawira said that that the global war against poverty could be won if everyone was prepared to stand up against those who increase poverty here and in other parts of the world.

National's Pansy Wong supported the goals and that the National party would focus aid on the Pacific region.

In all, three events - Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch - were held in New Zealand to mark International Poverty Day. This was part of a global movement with people gathering from places as diverse as Times Square in New York to tiny school houses in tsunami-hit Aceh in Indonesia.