# NZ First calls National's foreign aid cut promise desperate

> National's foreign aid cut plan sparks backlash from NZ First and praise from ACT.
- Title: NZ First calls National's foreign aid cut promise desperate
- Summary: National's foreign aid cut plan sparks backlash from NZ First and praise from ACT. National's plan to redirect $820m from foreign aid to health programs…
- Keywords: nz first, national, act, pharmac, foreign aid, winston peters, david seymour, christopher luxon, simeon brown, empower, world vision, pharmac funding
- Source: RNZ — https://rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/1757525/nz-first-calls-national-s-foreign-aid-cut-promise-desperate-act-hails-it-as-win
- Author: RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa
- Published: 2026-10-05T23:47:45+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nz first, national, act, pharmac, foreign aid, winston peters, david seymour, christopher luxon, simeon brown, empower, world vision, pharmac funding
## National announces health funding shift
National leader Christopher Luxon and health spokesperson Simeon Brown announced a plan to redirect over $820m from non-Pacific foreign aid budgets to health programs.
## NZ First calls policy dangerous
NZ First leader Winston Peters labeled National's foreign aid cut promise 'desperate' and 'dangerous', saying it jeopardizes economic growth.

> We need to double the size of the economy and we cannot do that if we neglect the very markets we need to be in.
## ACT welcomes policy as win
ACT leader David Seymour praised National's plan as a win for the coalition, promising faster progress on medicine funding and foreign aid cuts.

> National's policy equates to about one third of what ACT is proposing, but we are confident we can push the coalition to go further and faster.
## ACT targets trans-Tasman funding gap
ACT aims to lift the medicine budget from 4.9 percent of the health budget to 12.2 percent by targeting a 1 percentage point increase per year.
## World Vision expresses disappointment
World Vision's head of advocacy Rebekah Armstrong called National's foreign aid cuts 'really disappointing', warning of global humanitarian impacts.

> We've seen a real worldwide reduction of foreign aid at a time when there is more humanitarian need than ever before.
## National's foreign aid cuts face scrutiny
World Vision states the budget for foreign aid is already small but has made a 'tremendous impact' on thousands of people globally.
## Key takeaway

National's plan to redirect $820m from foreign aid to health programs faces criticism from NZ First as 'desperate' while ACT calls it a win to boost medicine funding.