Don’t be tight-fisted McCully – we owe the Pacific
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully’s announcement of $1 million in immediate aid relief for Samoa and Tonga is a miserable start.
It is immediately obvious the tsunami devastation of the coastal areas of these countries has caused tens of millions of damage. Not only are seaside villages destroyed and whole communities devastated but the commercial income from tourism and fishing will be slashed in the short and medium term while these facilities are rebuilt.
McCully has promised more aid later because both countries have sustained major infrastructural damage but with such a miserly start it’s hard to see New Zealand is serious in helping bring these countries anywhere near back to where they were.
At times like this we should consider the huge financial contribution Pacific countries have made to the development of the New Zealand economy over the last five decades. It is far greater than any levels of so-called 'aid' New Zealand has given in return.
Pacific workers came here in their tens of thousands to work in the factories of South Auckland from the 1960s. They did – and still do – the low-paid, unskilled and semi-skilled jobs for which there’s been a shortage of local New Zealand workers.
Wherever in the world wealth accumulates in the greatest abundance it is on the backs of low-paid workers. Europe and the US developed their economic strength from slavery. The same story applies whether it’s the pharaohs in Egypt or owners of sugar plantations in Fiji which used a more modern form of slavery via indentured labourers from India.
Here in New Zealand employers have loved the cheap, hard-working labour from the Pacific and in many ways these workers provided the backbone for the much of the New Zealand economy.
So just how many countless billions in capital have Pacific workers from Samoa and Tonga contributed to our economy? Whatever the answer it’s clearly massive and that contribution continues year after year. In fact the entire New Zealand economy is based around low-paid work which so often is performed by Pacific workers.
Miserly Murray McCully doesn’t count it for much. Earlier this year he re-oriented New Zealand aid to the Pacific to shift away from poverty alleviation programmes delivered via the semi-autonomous NZAID and instead provided such things as subsidies to Air New Zealand for the flights it runs from Los Angeles to Apia.
McCully wants more political control over the aid budget which means the money will go to what is in New Zealand’s interests and what New Zealand can extract by way of benefits to our economy rather than provision for what Pacific countries actually need.
It’s never a good time to play politics with aid money but meddlers like McCully just can’t help themselves. It doesn’t auger well for how further New Zealand money will be spent in rebuilding Pacific infrastructure.
New Zealand has milked Pacific countries for their labour and economic benefits for New Zealand-owned businesses.
At this time of desperate need we must put politics aside and give back generously some of what New Zealand businesses have extracted from our Pacific populations.
So dig deep McCully – we owe the Pacific big time!
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The extent and depth of corruption in the Pacific means that Aid has to be very carefully and tightly managed when it is delivered through Governments. Not only at that end either - provider capture in Wellington is also an issue.
Of course as usual Minto jumps at any excuse to spend more of other people's money and to increase the power of the State to appropriate it. Instead, let individual New Zealanders help our friends in the Pacific as directly as possible. The money is far more likely to be spent well and reach those who really need it.
I am disgusted by this blog! The dead have yet to be buried, and missing yet to be found - do you really think this is an appropriate time to start a blog about bloody money, and what is enough and what isn't?
How damn dare you John - really!
By the way - you paid any school fees lately?
Mmmm, I agree that there may be some benefit in the past to NZ. But at what cost? How many of our Pacific brothers are now on the dole? How many are supported by NZ taxpayers.
Now let's look at the other side of the ledger, the countries. Did they benefit? You bet! They got rid of potentially unusable labour that would cost the health system, the education system, etc. So they also win.
Then the people. Did they win? You bet, else why would they do it? They got to work, which might not have been available in their country and to support a family.
Does NZ owe Samoa? Of course not. John, as usual, has his blinkers on too tight!
It's an initial start as far as financial aid goes, the more important immediate help is flying supplies of food and medicene etc into the affected areas by RNZAF (and RAAF) aircraft. Perhaps NZ has benefited from the labour from the Pacific Islands but as they have a habit of sending money back 'home' anyway I would say that any benefit has been virtually cancelled out as far as the NZ economy goes. The problem with any financial aid is the lack of control you then have on how it is spent in any country in nay part of the world. I have however donated money to 2 aid organisations. The NZ Government should focus on providing material aid and not so much on financial aid. As usual Minto has the blinkers on.
A million dollars is a good start. The Pacific Islanders come to NZ because the wages they get here are far superior to what they get at home, and the standard of living is much higher. I wonder who exploits who in the Islands. As Alan said: corruption is rife in the Pacific, although people like Fields call it the 'Pacific Way'. Perhaps John, you should head over and show everybody what you do. And by the way, Europe was not developed on the back of slavery, there were slaves, but they did not constitute a hugely important part of the economy.
I dont know that we "owe the Pacific big time" but really, the mill that has been allocated at this time is pretty scungy given the level of destruction of infrastructure etc we are seeing in Samoa. My memory fails me on just how much we gave to Australia for the awful fires they experienced but I do know we gave them alot more than a million. and not to take anything away from the horror and suffering the bushfires caused in Aussie, but that disaster did not affect Australia's infrastructure or economy in the way that this tsunami has and will continue to affect Samoa. I can only hope that there will be more support along the way with the rebuilding phase.
Aid needs to be targeted appropriately - the taxpayer does not want to see the Government become willy nilly with its aid monies.
A foolish blog at a time of hurt, tragedy and distress for the Pacific.
John Minto- as usual you are full of self-opinionated indignation. Who are you to set yourself up as a judge of what we can give? New Zealanders and our Government(of all parties) are always generous in times like this and for you to suggest otherwise and use this tragedy just becuase of your self serving political agenda is disgusting.
I thought 1-million dollars initially wasn't a lot either. Then I reminded myself that nine years of surplus revenue had been wasted by Michael Cullen on needless train sets etc. So maybe we just don't have any more to give. I'll be interested to see the comparison between rebuilding Samoa and American Samoa though; that'll be interesting.
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got news for you John...the Pacific Islands have milked New Zealand labour markets for higher incomes than they could get at home for decades - it has not been a 1-way street!
The New Zealand taxpayer is perfectly entitled to have control over where aid money is spent, just like all other expediture of taxation.