Bilateral and Multilateral Co-operation

New Zealand is a strong advocate of multilateralism and this is reflected in its membership of a multiplicity of international inter-governmental organisations that include the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

New Zealand funds bilateral aid projects through the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) which is a semi-autonomous agency within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The majority of New Zealand’s bilateral aid is directed towards developing nations in the Pacific but a substantial amount also goes to countries in South-East Asia. NZAID also engages with multilateral organisations and NGOs with a multilateral aid budget of approximately NZ$86.6 ($US72.6 ) million in 2008/9.