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Oxfam’s annual Generosity Index highlights most giving Kiwis in Aotearoa

Bertha with the chickens she raises with support from Oxfam's livelihoods project in Vanuatu.
Bertha, 54, with the chickens she raises with support from Oxfam partner FSA. Oxfam Unwrapped donations support projects like Oxfam’s livelihoods work in Vanuatu, which provides training, tools and other support to women like Bertha. Photo: Artur Francisco/Oxfam

Oxfam New Zealand has published the results of its annual Generosity Index, revealing the most generous towns, cities and regions in the country.

Nelson-Tasman has been named New Zealand’s most generous region in 2019, beating the rest of the country for the biggest hearts. Last year’s winner, Wellington, came in second place with Otago rounding out the top three.

Every year, the Generosity Index ranks the most generous towns, cities and regions based on the number of Oxfam Unwrapped gifts purchased per capita.

Wellington City topped the list of most gifts per capita for a town or city, followed closely by Christchurch City and Auckland.

Rachael Le Mesurier, Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand, said: “We’re incredibly thankful to all the wonderful Kiwis who chose to make a difference with their gift-giving this past year. It’s heartening to see more people making conscious purchasing decisions that empower others around globe. It’s that generous spirit that is helping to change lives.

“Oxfam Unwrapped is a unique way to give gifts that matter, through your donations to Oxfam’s work. Your continued support means that we can keep doing these vital projects in the Pacific and work with our local partners to support the world’s most vulnerable communities.

“Each and every one of the most generous regions, towns and cities have something to be proud of – congratulations and thank you for choosing to support Oxfam Unwrapped. Your generosity is truly inspiring, and is creating long-lasting change for people living in poverty.”

Oxfam Unwrapped is a charity gift catalogue and one of Oxfam New Zealand’s biggest fundraisers. When Kiwis purchase an Unwrapped gift, they receive a card relating to a particular Oxfam project. The funds are directed to where they’re needed most, giving someone living in poverty the chance of a better life.

The donations are vital in supporting Oxfam’s life-changing programmes in the Pacific and beyond, helping to improve access to water and sanitation, support vulnerable families in creating sustainable incomes, and promote gender equality.

The gift cards range from honey bees that support beekeepers and the ever-popular goat, to school supplies that assist children with learning and solar lamps that bring light. All the cards are symbolic representations of different to areas of Oxfam’s work. Donations go towards the related projects or wherever it’s needed most – meaning communities receive the type of support they truly need.

Gift cards can be purchased at oxfamunwrapped.org.nz or by calling toll-free on 0800 600 700.

The top ten most generous regions in Oxfam Unwrapped’s 2019 Generosity Index are:

  1. Nelson
  2. Wellington
  3. Otago
  4. Auckland
  5. Canterbury
  6. Manawatu-Wanganui
  7. Taranaki
  8. Marlborough
  9. Hawke’s Bay
  10. Waikato

The top ten most generous cities in Oxfam Unwrapped’s 2019 Generosity Index are:

  1. Wellington City
  2. Christchurch City
  3. Auckland
  4. Lower Hutt City
  5. Dunedin City
  6. Nelson City
  7. Palmerston North City
  8. Hamilton City
  9. Tauranga City
  10. New Plymouth District

Notes:

  • The Generosity Index is formulated by calculating the number of gifts given per capita from available population data.
  • Oxfam Unwrapped has raised over $6 million for Oxfam New Zealand’s work in the Pacific and around the world since its inception in 2005.

World screams out for action but climate summit responds with a whisper

Responding to the final communiqué of the COP25 climate talks in Madrid, Chema Vera, Interim Executive Director of Oxfam International, said:

“The world is screaming out for climate action but this summit had responded with a whisper. The poorest nations are in a sprint for survival yet many governments have barely moved from the starting blocks. Instead of committing to more ambitious cuts in emissions, countries have argued over technicalities.

“Poorer nations spoke with one voice to demand funds to help them recover from the loss and damage inflicted by the climate emergency. For the homes that have become uninhabitable, the land that has become un-farmable, and the lives that have become unbearable. Wealthy nations have used every trick in the book to stall progress and avoid paying their fair share.

“Now more than ever, it is vital that people across the world keep up the pressure on governments to deliver more ambitious climate action.”

Emissions Cuts

Instead of committing to more ambitious cuts in emissions, countries have argued over technicalities. Commitments made so far have come from countries that account for around only 10 percent of global emissions. They will not keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5°C. If we are to have any chance of avoiding catastrophic climate impacts it is critical that all countries – led by the largest emitters – commit to much deeper emissions cuts in early 2020.

Loss and Damage

COP25 did not establish a new funding mechanism for Loss and Damage. Instead countries agreed to start a conversation about funding and create a new expert group to advise on the issue. They also asked the Green Climate Fund – the main multilateral fund through which rich countries channel climate finance – to take up the matter.

Without new and additional funding, the world’s most vulnerable people will struggle to recover and rebuild after climate shocks. For example, Oxfam’s report, Forced from Home, shows that climate-related disasters are now the biggest driver of internal migration, forcing one person from their home every two seconds. It underlines the need for new and additional money to help communities that cannot adapt to the climate crisis.

Gender Justice

The Gender Action Plan approved at the summit sets out a plan for increasing the participation and leadership of women in international climate talks, and in the design and implementation of climate policies at the national and local level. While the plan still needs to be translated into concrete measures, actions and targets, it is encouraging to see this blueprint for change given that poor women are often the hardest hit by the climate crisis.

Climate Finance

Wealthy countries are not providing the funds that are needed to help poor nations adapt to the climate crisis. Rich polluting countries pledged almost $90 million in new funding for adaptation in Madrid and made additional pledges to the Green Climate Fund. However, Oxfam’s analysis shows that the target of reaching $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020 remains a distant dream after adjusting for loans and creative accounting.

Reasons to be positive

As the big polluters dissemble and spin, the global movement for climate action is growing bigger and stronger. Young people are standing up for a safer future – showing the leadership that has been severely lacking from governments. Frontline communities from Fiji to Malawi and Peru are fighting back.

The Spanish Government deserves credit for stepping in to ensure COP25 went ahead. The UNFCCC remains the only forum we have for governments, businesses and civil society to try to solve the most pressing issue of our times.

Our hopes rest with the millions of people across the world who are taking to the streets to demand climate justice. Governments must listen and come back to the table in 2020 with the commitment and ambition needed to deliver on the Paris Climate Agreement.

Open letter: New Zealand’s contribution at Global Refugee Forum

We, as members of civil society, former refugee leaders, resettlement, humanitarian and faith-based organisations in New Zealand collectively note the historic step of the inaugural Global Refugee Forum taking place in Geneva on the 17 and 18 December 2019. The Global Refugee Forum represents a significant opportunity for states and non-state actors to work together to respond to the challenges and opportunities of international forced displacement, and to uphold the rights and dignity of refugees around the world.

WE NOTE:

The commitment from the international community, including New Zealand, through the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), affirmed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018, to strengthen solidarity with refugees and the communities that host them.

The unique opportunities that exist for New Zealand to contribute further to the development of the Global Compact on Refugees strategy towards 2021 which seeks to:

  • Grow resettlement, including with more protection places;
  • Advance complementary pathways by improving access and developing opportunities;
  • Build strong foundations by promoting welcoming and inclusive societies.

WE COMMEND the recent actions of the New Zealand Government in contributing to these goals, including:

  • The doubling of the Resettlement Quota to 1500 per year from 2019;
  • The piloting of the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship Category as a complementary pathway in 2018;
  • The removal of the “family link” criteria under the resettlement quota for refugees from the Middle East and Africa.

WE RECALL the urgent and increasing need to:

  • Actively build welcoming and inclusive communities in New Zealand and to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination;
  • Establish new and sustainable pathways of safety for people fleeing conflict and persecution around the world with resettlement needs doubling in recent years, and 1.44 million refugees requiring resettlement in 2020.

WE CALL on the New Zealand Government to take the opportunity of the first Global Refugee Forum to commit to timely pledges that will complement those of civil society, advance the objectives of the Global Compact and build more welcoming, inclusive communities in New Zealand:

  1. Strengthen former refugee leadership, including youth leadership and capacity, in policy-making;
  2. Establish the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship category as a permanent and additional pathway in New Zealand’s broader refugee and humanitarian programme;
  3. Increase the number of places available per year under the Refugee Family Support Category.

Signed,

Amnesty International New Zealand

Asylum Seeker Support Trust

Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition

Belong Aotearoa

Changemakers Resettlement Forum

Empower Youth Trust

Oxfam New Zealand

Refugees as Survivors New Zealand

Refugee Family Reunification Trust

South West Baptist Church

Tearfund New Zealand

Forced From Home: Climate-Fuelled Displacement

Climate-Fuelled Displacement on the Rise

Climate-fuelled disasters were the number one driver of internal displacement over the last decade – forcing an estimated 20 million people a year from their homes. Today, you are seven times more likely to be internally displaced by cyclones, floods and wildfires than by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and three times more likely than by conflict.

 Forced From Home.PDF

Zero Carbon Act is New Zealand’s welcome step up for poor countries

In response to the passing of the Zero Carbon Bill into law, Oxfam New Zealand Advocacy and Campaigns Director Jo Spratt said:

“Together with our supporters, Oxfam has been calling for robust climate action for many years, to protect the world’s poorest people from the very worst of climate breakdown. New Zealand is now taking a critical step up for those communities.

“The passing of this law is a tribute to the years of hard work and leadership of organisations like Generation Zero, and a win for the thousands of New Zealanders who mobilised for an enduring and bi-partisan climate action framework.

“This law is just the beginning of making sure we play our part in tackling climate breakdown. People on the front lines of the climate crisis have been waiting for decades for us to step up and act to stay within 1.5C. We have the basic legislative framework in place – the task now is to keep pushing for ambitious policies so we can truly meet the calls for climate justice.

“That a country such as Aotearoa can achieve cross-party support for climate legislation is a small beacon of hope for our Pacific neighbours facing the impacts of climate breakdown right now. It shows the power that we have when we join together and stand for a thriving, climate-resilient world – one where everyone has a stable environment to grow up in and the resources to determine their own future.”

Remembering Fran, Oxfam NZ Board Member


It is with extreme sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Board member, Fran McGrath.

Fran McGrath.

Fran was a CORSO member in Otago from the 1980s and provided one of our valued links to the founding spirit of Oxfam in New Zealand. She became an integral part of our Oxwhanau when she joined us as a Board member in 2014. In her time with us, Fran demonstrated such an incredible passion for justice and commitment to making the world a more equitable place. Fran was a thoughtful, generous, intelligent and wise woman.

Professionally, Fran has been an exceptional public health champion and has dedicated years of service to public health medicine and public policy. She has also worked as a volunteer and medical specialist in community programmes in Aotearoa NZ and across the world. She represented Aotearoa NZ at the World Health Organisation, and has worked across government. Only recently Fran had begun her role as President of the Public Health Association of New Zealand.

We here at Oxfam NZ are heartbroken but feel so appreciative that Fran chose to make Oxfam a part of her life. We will be forever grateful for her passion, confidence and commitment. She will be dearly missed by us all.

Our thoughts are with her husband Edwin, her family and close friends at this difficult time.

Arohanui.