8 Jun 2011

Niue aid relationships may change

3:21 pm on 8 June 2011

Changes in Niue's relationship with its aid providers are possible after a peer review of the effectiveness of the island's development assistance.

Last week, the Pacific Islands Forum reviewers met the Niue government, NGOs, the private sector and the New Zealand government, which gives the bulk of the island's foreign aid.

One of the reviewers, Samoan government finance official, Noumea Simi, says many of the projects are driven by the donor and Niue has only limited capacity to manage this.

Niue is seeking a more hands-on approach to its aid management and Ms Simi says it's important that the whole population is engaged in the process.

"Because we found that even with a small country not everybody knew about what was coming into the country in terms of aid, and sometimes I think as countries we often falter in that we don't engage they stakeholders that have the potential to contribute significantly to the overall development process of any country."

Noumea Simi