New Zealand's aid programme in the Pacific is slow and bureaucratic, the country's former High Commissioner to Samoa says.
David Nicholson left his post over the weekend after almost two years in Apia.
David Nicholson Photo: Tokelau government
Mr Nicholson told the Samoa Observer a lot of aid projects failed because officials in Wellington did not understand the local context in the Pacific.
"When people talk about the Pacific in Wellington, they use a generic noun and as you know, you go to different Pacific countries and they are all very different," he said.
The aid process took too long to implement, although it had a focus on quality, the former High Commisioner said.
While in Apia, the diplomat had rallied against Wellington-driven decision making and instead emphasised working with local partners, Mr Nicholson said.
But in a statement, a spokesperson for New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was co-operating well with Pacific governments.
"The ministry is committed to ensuring that our development spending supports prosperity and security in the Pacific and we are proud of what has been achieved, over a number of years, working in partnership with Pacific governments."