What is DevData? 

The New Zealand Government is committed to improving the transparency of New Zealand's international development cooperation (IDC). DevData is an important platform for enabling this. Through DevData, users can explore up-to-date, detailed information on IDC activities.

 

What is New Zealand’s international development cooperation programme?

New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation (IDC) programme – Ngā Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti – is the New Zealand Government's official support for sustainable development. It is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) - Manatū Aorere.

The overall purpose of the IDC Programme is to contribute to a more peaceful world, in which all people live in dignity and safety, all countries can prosper, and our shared environment is protected.

Through the activities of the IDC programme, New Zealand delivers knowledge and skills to help improve sustainable development and reduce poverty in developing countries, with a strong focus on the Pacific. New Zealand’s humanitarian activities save lives and relieve suffering in natural disasters and protracted crises.

For more information about New Zealand’s approach to aid and development, please refer to the MFAT website: https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/aid-and-development/(external link)(external link).

 

What data is published on DevData?

Information on over 2400 activities can be found on this site, including basic information such as activity titles, brief descriptions, start and end dates, expenditure figures, geographic and sectoral focus information, cooperation modality (type of activity), and some partner names (see Glossary for further information).

Comma-separated values (CSV) files are available for download for each country and regional area, and for each sector category (refer Data Download for further information).

The site is primarily based on open data published by MFAT, using the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standard(external link).

Most activity information on the site is from after 1 July 2011, although a small number of activities that started prior July 2011 are included. This means that overall expenditure figures for years prior to 2012 do not precisely reflect the total development cooperation programme spend in those years.

Activities are published if they meet the following criteria at the time of publication:

  • were in the design, implementation, closing, or closed stage;
  • did not meet MFAT’s exclusion criteria: these are activities with specific concerns relating to security/safety, privacy, sensitive/confidential information, or harm to operations. For example, to protect the privacy of partners, some activities in Afghanistan or Ukraine are not published. Such exclusions are kept under review.
  • are not Head of Mission/Embassy funds (“HEFs”). HEFs support small-scale and short-term development cooperation activities across a wide range of sectors. In 2022/23, total HEF expenditure was $3,676,471. These activities are currently excluded from the DevData data set due to differences in the way HEF data is collected and managed. We hope to incorporate data on these activities in future, subject to system improvements.

 

How often is DevData updated?

MFAT updates IATI data monthly.

 

What if I find a data discrepancy?

Users may come across a discrepancy when comparing DevData with other websites or publications.

A range of explanations for this exist, including:

Different data formats or languages:

MFAT publishes IDC information in a range of different formats for different audiences e.g. to the OECD-DAC Creditor Reporting System (CRS); the IATI standard; and the MFAT Annual report.

  • An example of this is the different names used for different regional areas around the world (e.g. MFAT uses the term “Pacific”, whereas others use “Oceania”.
  • Another example is in the area of climate finance. In most reporting, only a weighted proportion of activities with a climate-focus is reported as climate finance, based on whether they are considered climate change-related in full or only in part. DevData shows the full expenditure of these activities – i.e. no adjustments are made.

Static versus dynamic data:

Data published on DevData is updated monthly, making it dynamic data. Whereas other data, such as the MFAT annual report and the CRS report are updated annually. This data is static and serves as official statistics. Static data can change as standards for data collection or reporting change. The information on DevData should be comparable to the data MFAT reports to the OECD-DAC. However, due to the difference between static and dynamic data, this data will never be completely identical.

Exchange rate changes over time:

While all information in DevData is presented in New Zealand dollars, many Activities are costed in other currencies.

Continuous data quality improvements:

Ensuring the data we publish is of a high quality standard is a priority for MFAT. While all attempts are made to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information on DevData, there are limitations with the data, particularly in the case of older activities that predated MFAT's adoption of its current information management system (2017). Users can expect that information on DevData will be updated over time. Please refer to the Disclaimer(external link)(external link).

 

Want further information?

For further information on New Zealand’s IDC, please visit https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/aid-and-development/(external link)(external link).

If you have specific questions, contact enquiries@mfat.govt.nz.

 

Have any feedback?

We welcome feedback to help us improve DevData over time. You may email us via enquiries@mfat.govt.nz.