Formed in 1993 by a group of development NGOs, the DRC is a not-for-profit, charitable trust with a voluntary governance board. It is core funded by NZAID Nga Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti, a semi-autonomous body of the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The DRC / NZAID relationship is governed by a multi-year Core Funding Arrangement and by the 'Strategic Policy Framework between NGOs and NZAID'. These agreements recognise the important role NGOs and civil society play in Aotearoa New Zealand, and that independence is critical to the successful operation of NGOs, and to healthy and rigorous debate regarding international aid and development, and global education. The DRC also generates independent income from a variety of sources, including contracts with other agencies for projects in line with the DRC's mission and objectives.