Oxfam New Zealand says the critical measure for New Zealand's aid programme is whether the spending makes a real difference.
Oxfam New Zealand executive director Barry Coates says after four years of a sustainable economic development aid policy questions remain about the merits of the change from a focus on poverty reduction.
Critics of the policy have called it opaque, confusing and lacking a clear sense of direction.
Mr Coates says it depends how the economic development assistance is applied.
"You know we can imagine all we like about how development is going to happen but unless you have those approaches that work from the grassroots that also include support for human priorities of education and health care then actually development is not going to get to the people who need the help the most."
Barry Coates says to make a real difference, economic welfare needs to build economies from the bottom up.
