This article was first published on RNZ.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the country needs to take a serious look at whether taxpayers’ money is being spent responsibly on the World Health Organization.
His comment, made on his personal X account, came after the United States withdrew from the organisation.
In his post on Friday Peters said: “This is what happens when a bunch of unelected globalist bureaucrats are not accountable or responsible with worldwide taxpayers’ money.
“With the US withdrawing its membership it puts into question the current state of the WHO, its effectiveness, and if our taxpayers money is being responsibly spent overseas instead of here at home.”
Peters told Morning Report the WHO was a bloated organisation and not performing the way it should.
“They’ve forgotten what their original mandate was, they’ve forgotten the original parameters and boundaries they were given.
“I think we’ve got a right to question the issue of funding.
“We need to have a serious conversation in terms of accountability to the New Zealand people.”
Peters said it cost New Zealand millions of dollars to be part of the WHO.
“There have been countless occasions when they’ve sought to make rulings or decisions without any reference to the democratic nations that comprise it,” he said.
“Their job is to ensure they are efficiently the servants of the taxpayers worldwide that subscribe and sustain them.”
Washington formally withdrew from the WHO last week accusing it of numerous “failures during the Covid-19 pandemic” and of acting “repeatedly against the interests of the United States”.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the withdrawal made “the US and the world less safe”and the reasons cited for the US decision were “untrue.”
WHO, UN need to be more effective - Luxon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said global institutions needed to be more effective and renew themselves to stay relevant - but there was no question over New Zealand’s membership.
“The WHO plays an incredible role strengthening our healthcare systems, and national healthcare systems throughout the Pacific.
“New Zealand continues to benefit from the World Health Organization, but that doesn’t preclude it from continuing to improve its effectiveness and efficiency in delivery.
“I feel the same about the UN frankly, its relevance, it’s effectiveness needs serious overhauling.
Luxon said New Zealand’s membership of the WHO and other global organisations was not in question, but they needed to be renewed and strengthened.
“Our challenge is to make them function better,” he said.
They were stuck in a way of working that’s “not relevant to where we are today.”
After the US withdrawal announcement Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told staff in a memo the WHO would cut costs and review which health programmes to prioritise, Reuters reported. A spokesperson confirmed the memo was authentic but declined to comment further.
By RNZ’s Morning Report
