Response from the Minister of Foreign Affairs

29 April 2024

Leeanne McAviney
Assistant Auditor-General, Sector Performance Office of the Auditor-General
100 Molesworth Street
Wellington 6140

Dear Assistant Auditor General,

Thank you for your letter of 28 March following up on the performance audit of the Government's preparedness to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

New Zealand remains committed to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs. As you will know, almost all of the SDGs relate to either domestic policy or to both domestic and international policy responses to global issues (such as climate change). My Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is the lead reporting agency for SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) the latter of which we implement through the International Development Cooperation programme.

The New Zealand Government has not agreed a lead agency on New Zealand's SDG implementation.

Yours sincerely

Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs