The Government has spent the largest portion of its infrastructure package entrenching projects greenlighted by the previous Government, instead of prioritising low-income families who are living in infrastructure deprived neighbourhoods and poor-quality public housing. Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling on the Government to inject more cash into the build of state homes, health clinics in low-income neighbourhoods, as well as making all new and current builds more energy efficient.
“Low income families living in poor quality public housing, without access to health clinics or public transport are being left behind in favour of spending billions in continuing the previous Government’s Roads of National Significance. Beneficiaries are already struggling to cover the basic costs of living, and lack of access to adequate infrastructure makes life more expensive for those in hardship”, says Ricardo Menendez March, Auckland Action Against Poverty.
“Ensuring people have access to state housing, hospitals, modern schools, public transport and recreational infrastructure is key to reducing the inequities between wealthy and low-income neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, this Government has not directly funded Kāinga Ora to ensure that our public housing infrastructure is energy efficient and results in warm, healthy homes.
“It’s telling that the Government is spending more on a single 22km road ($692m) than the whole $400 decarbonisation package or funding towards healthcare infrastructure. The Government could have used part of the $12b package to speed up the compliance of Kāinga Ora homes with the new Healthy Homes standards before 2023, to make sure no family is living in cold, unhealthy homes.
“The Government’s prioritisation of resource intensive roading projects over the wellbeing of our most vulnerable families is out of line with its rhetoric of poverty reduction and is instead a continuation of the status quo.
“While the Government increased the debt intake of Kāinga Ora by $4b it is not properly resourcing the crown agency to speed up the building of public housing to ensure the 15,000 households on the waiting list have a place to live in 4 years. If the Government does not speed up the building of public housing, we will still see thousands of families homeless and waiting longer than ever on the state housing waiting list. This Government is prioritising expensive roading projects over ending poverty.
“We are calling on the Government to release additional funding to ensure people have access to public housing that is healthy, universal healthcare, and efficient public transport infrastructure. There are enough resources in this country to ensure that every community has access to decent public infrastructure to live with dignity, what is missing is political courage and innovation from politicians.”
Keep wishing and dreaming, Jacinda does not really care.
She cares more than the last lot Marc. You only have to look at the inequalities and this happens every time the national party get elected. We see a big divide, we also see more homelessness more people begging , more Maori in prisons, more state houses sold, more people dying prematurely especially Maori and PI and the list goes on.
The Statistics suggest you are wrong and your comments are only those of a drone puppetting their political master propaganda.
I live is a very big state housing area and have for over 20 years. You assertion about state housing is is la-la land. Never before have we seen so many houses boarded and/or on blocks and/or just sitting empty than we have in the last 18 months. There has been a MASSIVE change under the current Govt and not a good one nor one that even vaguely resembles their claims.
Over the last 20 years we’ve seen 2 places sold to private people by the Nat govt before Helens Lab govt, both of which were then extensively rebuilt due to asbestos. One could argue that save the taxpayer a shit load of coin. Then nothing happened under Helens Govt, inc maintenance for the last few years of her term so many did turn to shit. Then came JK’s Govt and we did see quite a burst of upgrading for about 3-4 years which then tapered off. During that Nat Govt a few got boarded up for just a month or 2 while being fixed up, mainly due to tenant damage, which is common. Then in came JA and the mass boarding up started a few months later, shit loads boarded up and left sitting there doing nothing. Many empty for well over a year now. Many have big temporary fencing around them, could be harvested for hay, are proving to be great canvas’s for the local taggers, a few have become drug dens or handy spots for the local teenagers to practice they sexual skills.
That’s why the waiting list for state housing has SKYROCKETED under this Liebour Govt.
She cares more than the last lot Marc. You only have to look at the inequalities and this happens every time the national party get elected. We see a big divide, we also see more homelessness more people begging , more Maori in prisons, more state houses sold, more people dying prematurely especially Maori and PI and the list goes on. I work in public health so i see it and hear it all from the people.
The Widdle Princess does not care. She has a full dance card and theres just no more room or time for her to accept any further responsibilities!
Its a fuck’n disgrace! I’m not voting for team, “I’mma Gunnah ….” do whatever it is we do again, thats for sure.
But low income families don’t fit within a business model…?
Unless, of course, they’re working for next to nothing to aid and abet in creating more wealth for the already excessively riche.
And lets not forget? Low income families breed more children which will become more cheap labour and if those who promote business models are lucky? Low income families will produce soldiers for the Global Arms and War Machinery industries.
Ever since the first non Maori colonial set their big, flat feet on the soil here it’s always been about money.
And isn’t it funny? That those who argue that all we need to do is work harder in fact do the least while they get ever richer? So funny.
Labour and National are the same thing. And that ‘thing’ is an inbred mutation of the good ol’ neoliberal ol’ 1980’s. Nothing. I repeat… nothing has changed for normal, human, human-beings.
Unless, of course, one thinks a flourishing society of highly polished arseholes in suits is something.
In September? We should be voting with a nice big riot. Bring the kids? Fun for everyone.
Would plump, shinny, little grant robertson be still so confident in spending OUR tax money on roading so as the flouncy can drive their bentleys around on if 20,000 people rolled into Wellington with flaming torches and nooses?
The definition of madness is doing the same thing while expecting a different result.
The AAAP peeve me off no where in any of their comments do they make any provision for single people with major health issues who are financially struggling and cant get winz help or their medicines are not funded. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF SINGLE PEOPLE BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST with all we hear is families families as if everything is hunky dory in single peopled low income or no income world AAAP CHANGE THE NARATIVE .
Geoff Lye
Under funding of medicines by pharmac Facebook group admin.
Prime ministers and governments come and go but the neo liberal establishment is here too stay.
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