Comments on: Air New Zealand to be Subsidised Partly with Aid Money http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/03/air-new-zealand-to-be-subsidised-partly-with-aid-money/ Standing for Justice Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:32:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Frank http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/03/air-new-zealand-to-be-subsidised-partly-with-aid-money/comment-page-1/#comment-2686 Frank Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/?p=889#comment-2686 Our mandate is to work with the poorest in such places so if we had funds and were to move to work in the Pacific, we would identify indigenous projects run by Christian groups already working or moving to work in the poorer communities and would assist, support and resource them towards their objectives to lift up those communities. Allow me to affirm that I do not see assisting Samoa and Tonga through Air New Zealand as wrong. Their tourism industries are important. I'm just not sure if the aid budget is the place to take it from. That fundamentally does not fit my philosophy of such aid. Interestingly, there is a precedent for it in Niue though. NZAID has been greatly assisting Niue for some time since it was devastated by a cyclone. It has been working to build basic infrastructure and develop the private sector, including tourism. This has involved underwriting Air NZ flights since Samoa's national carrier discontinued the service. Here are the relevant links looking at NZAid's work with Niue: http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=19800 http://www.nzaid.govt.nz/library/docs/factsheet-niue.pdf Niue was an island that was devastated and it was an island (if we're to delve into the stuff behind the scenes) that New Zealand pretty much pillaged for phosphorous. It needed very serious help, so I'm not sure if the precedent actually carries over to Samoa and Tonga and their links to the U.S. Our mandate is to work with the poorest in such places so if we had funds and were to move to work in the Pacific, we would identify indigenous projects run by Christian groups already working or moving to work in the poorer communities and would assist, support and resource them towards their objectives to lift up those communities.

Allow me to affirm that I do not see assisting Samoa and Tonga through Air New Zealand as wrong. Their tourism industries are important. I’m just not sure if the aid budget is the place to take it from. That fundamentally does not fit my philosophy of such aid.

Interestingly, there is a precedent for it in Niue though. NZAID has been greatly assisting Niue for some time since it was devastated by a cyclone. It has been working to build basic infrastructure and develop the private sector, including tourism. This has involved underwriting Air NZ flights since Samoa’s national carrier discontinued the service. Here are the relevant links looking at NZAid’s work with Niue:

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=19800

http://www.nzaid.govt.nz/library/docs/factsheet-niue.pdf

Niue was an island that was devastated and it was an island (if we’re to delve into the stuff behind the scenes) that New Zealand pretty much pillaged for phosphorous. It needed very serious help, so I’m not sure if the precedent actually carries over to Samoa and Tonga and their links to the U.S.

]]> By: Skip http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/2009/03/air-new-zealand-to-be-subsidised-partly-with-aid-money/comment-page-1/#comment-2684 Skip Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:10:45 +0000 http://www.humanitarianchronicle.com/?p=889#comment-2684 Instead of spending the money on Air New Zealand, how would you guys spend it to benefit these pacific islands. Instead of spending the money on Air New Zealand, how would you guys spend it to benefit these pacific islands.

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