KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's overseas aid remained static last year making the country one of the least generous of international donors, a new OECD report shows.
It says the New Zealand Government committed US$257 million ($361m) in 2006 - 0.27 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI).
That was far
below the 0.46 per cent average effort by OECD countries and the no better than New Zealand achieved in 2005.
In outright monetary terms, New Zealand was the lowest donor in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2006, but relative to national income it was sixth-lowest.
Oxfam New Zealand called on the Government to increase the country's foreign aid.
"Most kiwis think we are good global citizens. But compared to others, our government is a miserly aid donor," its executive director Barry Coates said.
"Before the last election, the Government promised to increase the aid budget to start the process of catching up on aid levels.
"It is time that the Government honoured this promise in the forthcoming budget," he said. "To put it bluntly, we are not pulling our weight in the fight against poverty."
In its budget last year, the Government said it would keep it assistance level at 0.27 per cent for the year from May, and increase it to 0.28 for the next year.
At a conference in Mexico in 2002, the international community committed itself to move toward boosting overseas development aid to 0.7 per cent of GNI by the end of the decade.
Mr Coates said New Zealand was one of few countries not to have a plan to reach that level and excuses that the country's aid was well targeted and effective didn't wash.
"Far from being a reason to give less, this is the best reason we could have to be more generous as a nation. Our Government aid works and we should give more of it."
Sweden spent 1.03 per cent of its GNI (US$3.967 billion) on overseas aid while Luxembourg and Norway spent 0.89 per cent.
In monetary terms, the United States was the biggest donor with US$22.739b but that represented a comparatively stingy 0.17 per cent of GNI, higher only than Greece's 0.16 per cent.
A new report last week said New Zealand individuals and businesses gave about $1.3b to charity last year -- 0.81 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.
- NZPA