[1] The Head of the New Zealand Aid Programme is Jonathan Kings, a lawyer and public servant.

According to the OECD, New Zealand’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 537.6 million, preliminary data) decreased in 2022 due to fewer disbursements within its three-year budget cycle and represented 0.23% of gross national income (GNI).

[2] NZAID was established in 2002 by the Fifth Labour Government with the launching of a new overseas aid policy, "Towards a Safe and Just World Free of Poverty".

The establishment of NZAID as a semi-autonomous body marked a significant shift in the management of New Zealand official development assistance (ODA).

The rotational staffing system (whereby career MFAT staff were rotated through the aid management division, rather than recruited specifically for skills and experience in ODA issues) had led to the relevant area of MFAT being regarded as "both a training ground for diplomats and a dumping ground for non-performers".

In 2009, Cabinet agreed to the mission statement and directed that within this the core focus be sustainable economic development.

Cabinet also directed that the Pacific remain the core geographic focus and receive an increased portion of New Zealand's ODA.