NZ ranks 6th for global contribution

New Zealand is ranked sixth out of the 21 richest nations -- beating Britain, the United States and France -- in a survey of countries helping to make the world a better, safer place to live.

The Washington-based Center for Global Development's annual Commitment to Development Index
(CDI) rated aid, trade, investment, migration, the environment, security and technology.

Denmark took top spot overall, followed by the Netherlands, then Sweden and Australia. Japan trailed into last place, behind Greece.

New Zealand came in first for trade, with the report approving of the low tariffs and subsidies on agriculture.

But despite the pride we take on our clean green image, New Zealand was ranked only 12th in the environment category.

The report said New Zealand had high greenhouse gas emission, low gas taxes, high fishing subsidies and no policy to regulate illegal timber products.

The country was ranked third for security, with the report noting the "significant financial and personnel contributions during interventions in Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and the Solomon Islands".

The United Kingdom, which has just foiled a major terror plot, was ranked 20th out of the 21 countries in the security category, due to its arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments.

New Zealand also scored highly for migration.

The report said our strengths in the area included a large increase in immigration of skilled, non-skilled and foreign students. However the report noted we only bore a "small share of the burden of refugees during humanitarian crises".

The country was ranked just over halfway for technology, coming in at 10th.

New Zealand fared worse for aid, where we ranked 18th, after it was reported New Zealand had a low net aid volume share of GDP.

Last month rock legend and humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof accused the New Zealand Government of being mean over foreign aid, saying its contribution -- 0.27 per cent of the gross national income -- was "pathetic" and a "disgrace".

And New Zealand was ranked 19th for investment because no national agency provided political risk insurance.

The index showed that wealthy countries were contributing more aid to Africa but were less giving when it came to reducing trade barriers and promoting policies that encouraged investment in poor countries.

"Overall, the new scorings show a slow but steady improvement in the commitment of rich countries to growth and poverty reduction in poor countries," CGD president Nancy Birdsall said.

"But they fall far short of leaders' soaring rhetoric in 2005, the so-called 'Year of Development'." Then the world's top eight industrialised nations promised to reduce the debt of 18 impoverished countries, more than double aid to Africa by 2010 and cut agricultural barriers under the Doha round of global trade talks.

The List:
1 Denmark
2 Netherlands
3 Sweden
4 Australia
5 Norway
6 NEW ZEALAND
7 Finland
8 Austria
9 Germany
10 United Kingdom
11 Canada
12 United States
13 Switzerland
14 Portugal
15 France
16 Belgium
17 Spain
18 Italy
19 Ireland
20 Greece
21 Japan

- NZPA, REUTERS