Low sense of wellbeing unlikely to improve

Jacinda Ardern  | 
Monday, July 15, 2013 – 10:55

A new study, the release of which coincides with the Government’s latest round of welfare reforms, confirms growing income inequality is having a hugely negative effect on New Zealanders’ wellbeing, Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.

The study, by Auckland University researchers, uses international measures to rank social and personal wellbeing.

“Taking into account a far wider range of factors than existing economic measurements such as GDP and household income, it shows Kiwis are not faring well under current economic conditions. New Zealand ranks in the bottom third of countries for 19 of 25 wellbeing indicators, just ahead of the Ukraine, Bulgaria and Hungary

“It proves what we all instinctively know – that New Zealand, which used to pride itself on its egalitarian spirit, has changed.

“We feel less connected, we are less community-orientated and we feel isolated.

“Unsurprisingly those on higher incomes feel less depressed and more connected than those struggling to get by. Social position, too, ‘was a powerful indicator of wellbeing’, hence those higher up on the social ladder reported much higher wellbeing.

“One of the biggest predictors of how well a country and its people are doing is its income gap. Right now, New Zealand’s is wider than at any other time since detailed records began.

“Put simply, if you’re poor you’re going to be excluded.

“Paula Bennett’s latest reforms will do nothing to change that.”