Media Releases

70% of Tongan population affected in wake of Cyclone Gita

February 14, 2018

The full scale of destruction is beginning to emerge from Tonga in the aftermath of the severe tropical cyclone Gita.

Around 50,000 people, or almost 70% of the country’s population, have been affected, a third of whom are children.

Water supplies across the main island of Tongatapu have sustained significant damage, making the risk of further outbreaks of waterborne disease a very real threat. Tonga was already addressing an outbreak of dengue fever in Tongatapu before the storm hit.

Jane Foster, Oxfam’s country director for Tonga, said: “Homes have been destroyed, government buildings flattened, and churches devastated. We have one report of a man, who is one of our local partners, sheltering in his home with his family as part of it was ripped away while they watched in horror.

“The impact of this severe storm will be felt on many people’s livelihoods for a long time to come. We also have grave concerns for the immediate threat from damage sustained to water supplies as the risk of contamination is high. There is a real risk of a second disaster from water and mosquito borne illnesses like dengue.”

“Our focus right now is to support our local partners to conduct assessments as quickly as possible – they are out there now finding out exactly where the most urgent needs are. Oxfam’s main relief efforts will focus on our area of expertise: providing safe water for people, as well as sanitation supplies and public health support to help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.”

Severe tropical cyclone Gita made landfall in the southern part of Fiji last night. Ms Foster said the agency was deeply concerned for communities in the outer islands, who are yet to make contact.

“Some of these islands that are going to be affected are extremely remote and hard to reach in the best of times. We hope that preparedness plans and evacuation centres keep people safe until support reaches them.”

New Zealanders wanting to support people affected by Cyclone Gita are urged to ensure their generosity has the biggest impact by sending cash, not goods, Ms Foster said. “In a disaster, many people are often moved to send goods they think can help. But for the cost of shipping nine litres of bottled water from New Zealand to Nuku’alofa, Oxfam can produce over 16,200 litres of safe drinking water in Tonga.”

Donations to support Oxfam’s emergency responses in the Pacific and around the world can be made online at oxfam.org.nz/drf or by calling 0800 600 700.

Cyclone Gita heading towards Tonga: Oxfam poised to respond

February 12, 2018

Oxfam is on standby to respond to Cyclone Gita, as latest forecasts predict the storm could intensify up to a category 5 cyclone before affecting Tonga later tonight.

Up to 70% of the country’s population is at risk with the severe tropical cyclone expected to pass near the populated main islands of Tongatapu and ‘Eua. The storm’s impact may also be felt in the low-lying Ha’apai group, where damaging winds, rain and storm surge are likely.

With the country already addressing an outbreak of dengue fever in Tongatapu, the deterioration of sanitation conditions on the island could increase the risk of a second disaster due to the spread of dengue and other vector and water-borne diseases.

Oxfam stands ready to support the Tongan government, which may include mobilising local partners and other emergency personnel.

Oxfam, along with its partner the Tongan National Youth Congress (TNYC), has disaster preparedness programmes in Ha’apai and Vava’u. Oxfam is liaising with TNYC and the Tongan government to prepare for an appropriate and coordinated response.

Jane Foster, Oxfam’s country director for Tonga, says: “Once the urgent needs are assessed we are expecting to help coordinate the supply of clean water and sanitation for those affected by the disaster.

“Oxfam has a long-established presence in Tonga and Samoa and we have pre-positioned emergency supplies already in-country ready to be deployed should they be required.”

If you’d like to help us support those affected by disasters like Cyclone Gita, donate to our Disaster Response Fund.

Oxfam’s reaction to recent news on sexual misconduct in Haiti and Chad

February 10, 2018

Over the past few days, the media has talked of sexual misconduct by staff employed by Oxfam Great Britain in Haiti seven years ago, as well as in Chad in 2006.

“Following the media coverage surrounding cases of sexual misconduct involving Oxfam Great Britain in 2011, I saw it as extremely important to get in direct contact with supporters of all kinds – donors, campaigners, event participants, event volunteers – to share our shock, and sadness, at the abuse of power, to acknowledge your concerns and to share the actions we took then as a global network of Oxfams and the actions we are taking now.

“If you aren’t on our email lists (you may have advised us to not send you information) and haven’t received a direct message from me and would like to, or you have questions about the recent news coverage, please get in contact with us by phone (0800 600 700) or by email (oxfam@oxfam.org.nz). We don’t want any of you to feel like you are uninformed or with unanswered questions.

“Thank you for your continued support, and for your commitment to making a better, fairer world for all.”

Rachael Le Mesurier
Executive Director
March 6, 2018

Over the past few days, the media has talked of sexual misconduct by staff employed by Oxfam Great Britain in Haiti seven years ago, as well as in Chad in 2006.

It hurts all of us at Oxfam, deeply, to hear that a few Oxfam Great Britain staff abused the very people they were sent to help.

What happened in Haiti and clearly in other countries we work in was a few privileged men abusing the very people they were meant to protect – and our processes were too weak to stop them. Oxfam gave them power and they used it against powerless women. They betrayed their trust and the trust of our supporters and of the governments that allow us to come in to respond and support their people.

They also betrayed the trust of hundreds of thousands of Oxfam staff – kind and dedicated women and men. People who wake up every day to put themselves on the front-lines to help save the lives of others. These people represent the Oxfam I believe in – not those men who abused others.

Back in 2011 when this happened, several staff were fired. A few resigned during the investigation, or left the country, leaving Oxfam unable to satisfactorily resolve disciplinary measures. Acting on legal advice at the time, the Oxfam Great Britain Haiti Country Director was allowed to resign as he cooperated transparently with the investigation. Though the media has reported that Oxfam gave positive references to these staff, this did not happen. We have never and will never endorse individuals who are capable of such behaviour.

We always seek to do better and to learn. Oxfam today as a global confederation has grown significantly since 2011, and has put stringent and powerful measures in place to make sure this kind of behaviour never happens again.

Since the Haiti case in 2011 we have introduced a range of measures including a Global Taskforce on Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation & Abuse that is co-chaired by our Oxfam International Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima.

The Oxfam Great Britain Deputy CEO, Penny Lawrence, has resigned. We respect her decision to take responsibility for incidents that happened on her watch.

Oxfam around the globe is united with you in outrage against the behaviour of these few men. It was then, and is now, unacceptable. We stand with the women and girls who experienced this exploitation. In view of our work advancing women’s rights, especially in situations of vulnerability, it’s imperative that sexual misconduct is stamped out everywhere. Your support is integral.

Super-rich got 82% of wealth created last year – poorest half of world got nothing

January 23, 2018

Eighty two per cent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one per cent of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half got nothing, according to a new Oxfam report released today.

The report is being launched as political and business elites gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Earlier today, Oxfam New Zealand reported that the richest 1 per cent of Kiwis bagged a staggering 28 per cent of all wealth created last year while the poorest 30 per cent of the population got just 1 per cent. ‘Reward Work, Not Wealth’ reveals how the global economy enables the super-rich to accumulate vast wealth at the expense of hundreds of millions of people who are struggling to survive on poverty pay. • 2017 saw an unprecedented increase in the number of billionaires, at a rate of one every two days. Billionaire wealth has risen by an average of 13 per cent a year since 2010 – six times faster than the wages of ordinary workers, which have risen by a yearly average of just 2 per cent. • It takes just four days for a CEO from one of the top five global fashion brands to earn what a Bangladeshi garment worker will earn in her entire lifetime. In the US, it takes slightly over one working day for a CEO to earn what an ordinary worker makes in a year. • It would cost $2.2 billion a year to increase the wages of all 2.5 million Vietnamese garment workers to a living wage. This is about a third of the amount paid out to wealthy shareholders by the top 5 companies in the garment sector last year. Oxfam’s report outlines the key factors driving up rewards for shareholders and multi-national corporate bosses at the expense of workers’ pay and conditions, particularly in developing countries. These include the erosion of workers’ rights, the excessive influence of multi-national big business over government policy-making, and the relentless corporate drive to minimise costs in order to maximise returns to shareholders. Oxfam has also highlighted the role of tax havens in helping the extremely wealthy become even richer, with multinational tax avoidance from corporations costing poor countries at least $100 billion each year. Furthermore, many of these companies are growing their profits at the expense of their workers – paying unfair wages and forcing them to work in gruelling conditions. Rachael Le Mesurier, Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand, said: “The billionaire boom is not a sign of a thriving economy but a symptom of a failing economic system. The people who make our clothes, assemble our phones, and grow our food are being exploited to ensure a steady supply of cheap goods and swell the profits of multi-national corporations and billionaire investors.’ Women workers often find themselves off at the bottom of the heap. Across the world, women consistently earn less than men and are concentrated in the lowest-paid and least secure forms of work. By comparison, 9 out of 10 billionaires are men. “Oxfam has spoken to women across the globe whose lives are blighted by inequality. Women in Vietnamese garment factories who work far from home for poverty pay and don’t get to see their children for months at a time. Women working in the US poultry industry are forced to wear nappies because they are denied toilet breaks. Women working in hotels in Canada and the Dominican Republic who stay silent about sexual harassment for fear of losing their jobs,” said Le Mesurier. Oxfam is calling for governments globally to ensure our economies work for everyone and not just the fortunate few:

Limit returns to fair levels for shareholders and top executives and ensure all workers receive a minimum ‘living’ wage that would enable them to have a decent quality of life. For example, in Nigeria, the legal minimum wage would need to be tripled to ensure decent living standards.
Eliminate the gender pay gap and protect the rights of women workers. At current rates of change it will take 217 years to close the gap in pay and employment opportunities globally between women and men.
Ensure the extremely wealthy pay their fair share of tax through higher taxes and a crackdown on tax avoidance, and increase spending on public services such as healthcare and education. Oxfam estimates a global tax of 1.5 per cent on billionaires’ wealth could pay for every child in the world to go to school.
In New Zealand, demonstrate global leadership and work with political leaders to call for international tax reforms, including strengthening tax transparency for multi-nationals which is an essential step in fighting global tax avoidance.

Results of a new global survey commissioned by Oxfam demonstrates a groundswell of support for action on inequality. Of the 120,000 people surveyed in 10 countries, nearly two-thirds of all respondents think the gap between the rich and the poor needs to be urgently addressed. “It’s hard to find a political or business leader who doesn’t say they are worried about inequality. However there are not that many who are doing something about it. Many political leaders are actively making things worse by slashing taxes and scrapping labour rights,” said Le Mesurier. “People across the globe are ready for change. They want to see workers paid a living wage; they want multi-national corporations and the superrich to pay more tax; they want women workers to enjoy the same rights as men; they want a limit on the power and the wealth which sits in the hands of so few. They want action from their governments.” Notes to editors ‘Reward Work, Not Wealth’ and a methodology document that outlines how Oxfam arrived at the key statistics in the report, is available for download here. New data from Credit Suisse reveals that 42 people now own the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity. This figure cannot be compared to figures from previous years – including the 2016/17 statistic that eight men owned the same wealth as half the world – because it is based on an updated and expanded data set published by Credit Suisse in November 2017. When Oxfam recalculated last year’s figures using the latest data we found that 61 people owned the same wealth as half the world in 2016 – and not eight. Oxfam’s calculations are based on global wealth distribution data provided by the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Data book 2017. The wealth of billionaires was calculated using Forbes’ billionaires list last published in March 2017. RIWI and YouGov conducted the online survey for Oxfam in ten countries: India, Nigeria, United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Morocco, Netherlands and Denmark. For details on the methodology and the full results see Oxfam’s report Reward Work, Not Wealth.

Richest 1% of Kiwis bagged 28% of all wealth created last year

January 22, 2018

A staggering 28 per cent of all wealth created in New Zealand in 2017 went to the richest 1 per cent of Kiwis.

While the 1.4 million people who make up the poorest 30 per cent of the population got barely 1 per cent, according to new research released by Oxfam today.

The research also reveals that 90 per cent of New Zealand owns less than half the nations wealth.

The research forms part of a global report released to coincide with this week’s annual meeting of political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. New Zealand Trade Minister David Parker is scheduled to attend the gathering, which focuses on global politics, economics and social issues.

The full report, called Reward Work, Not Wealth and released at 1pm this afternoon [Monday], will reveal how the global economy enables a wealthy elite to continue to accumulate vast wealth while hundreds of millions of people struggle to survive on poverty pay. It will reveal how globally big business and the extremely wealthy are fuelling the inequality crisis by avoiding taxes, driving down wages for their workers and the prices paid to producers, and investing less in their business, say Oxfam.

Last year, Oxfam’s research revealed two New Zealand men owned more wealth than the poorest 30 per cent of the adult population; this startling statistic remains the same. Graeme Hart, New Zealand’s richest man, has increased his fortune by US$3.1 billion in 2017 to US$9.5 billion (up from $US6.4 in 2016).

Rachael Le Mesurier, Executive Director at Oxfam New Zealand says: “Trickle-down economics isn’t working. The extreme gap between the very rich and the very poor in our country is shocking. As new wealth is created it continues to be concentrated in the hands of the already extremely wealthy.

“2017 was a global billionaire bonanza. This is not a sign of success but of economic failure. Experts are clear, high levels of inequality are bad for economic growth – for everyone except the small number of super-rich, who on a global scale are often able to translate their disproportionate control of resources into disproportionate influence over political and economic decision making. This can lead to policies that are geared towards their interests, often at the expense of the majority.

“To end the global inequality crisis, we must build an economy for ordinary working people, not the very few rich and powerful.
“Kiwis love fairness, not inequality. Governments can tackle extreme inequality here and globally by ensuring the wealthy and multi-nationals pay their fair share of tax by cracking down on tax avoidance – then using that money to make our country and the global economy a fairer place.”

“Let’s have a national conversation about tax. Labour’s Tax Working Group and the opportunity it provides New Zealand to examine the structure, fairness and balance of the New Zealand tax system, is a huge opportunity to ensure our economy reflects the fairness that is innately Kiwi. It also offers an opportunity for New Zealand to provide an example to many developing countries in using a fairer tax system to reduce the extreme gap between the very rich and the very poor. Oxfam’s report includes a strong list of recommendations, backed up by experts, for both governments and multi-nationals that can help us achieve this.”

The two richest New Zealanders are Graeme Hart and Richard Chandler. They own wealth of US$9.5billion and US$1.9billion respectively.

Oxfam’s 2018 report is the most recent in a series of reports that has analysed economic inequality and its drivers. Each of these reports was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Each year the report has included an analysis of wealth inequality which draws on data from the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook and the Forbes list of billionaires. This Credit Suisse Databook is produced annually and is widely recognised as providing the best available data on global wealth.

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‘One Planet’ summit must help those on the front lines of climate change

December 11, 2017

Tuesday’s climate summit in Paris must boost the financial support going to help poor communities adapt to climate change, said Oxfam. French President Emmanuel Macron, the World Bank, and the United Nations are co-organizing the event, which comes on the two-year anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement.

The “One Planet” summit is specifically focused on climate financing, and is meant to “determine how those working in public and private finance can innovate to support and accelerate our common efforts to fight climate change.”

The Paris Agreement promised rich governments would mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020, with a “balance” between funding for emission cuts and climate adaptation needs. However, the adaptation pledges have fallen short. Last year, Oxfam estimated that adaptation finance had added up to just around $4 to 8 billion and multilateral adaptation funding for small-scale farmers totaled just $345 million. By contrast, recent estimates show total adaptation needs could add up to $140 to 300 billion per year by 2030.

Armelle Le Comte, Oxfam France’s climate change policy lead said: “Two years ago, in this same city, world leaders reaffirmed their promise to deliver tens of billions of dollars to help poorer countries adapt to the effects of climate change. Unfortunately, we’re far from that goal. Right now, small-scale farmers are getting only a tiny fraction of the help they desperately need to survive.

“This year’s barrage of climate disasters showed that poor communities are often completely unprepared to deal with extreme weather. They need real help; from sea walls to protect against rising sea levels to sustainable water sources that won’t go dry during a drought. The last thing they need are pricey loans that will saddle them with interest payments for years to come.

“With his speech in Bonn and in convening this summit, Macron is trying to position himself as an international climate leader. However, if he wants to be truly credible, he should double France’s current adaptation finance commitment and push the country’s development agency to stop funding fossil fuel projects.”