Yesterday more than 50+ organisations penned an open letter to Jacinda Ardern, Carmel Sepuloni and Grant Robertson urging them to lift benefit and low-income levels to liveable levels before Christmas.
A reporter asked Jacinda in her live press conference yesterday afternoon about whether she had a chance to consider the open letter and lifting all income levels before Christmas and she responded with “this is not going to be an issue that can be resolved in one week, or one month or indeed one term” citing a ‘substantial increase’ of $25 made earlier in the year, and the doubling of the Winter Energy Payment which finished on the 1st of October 2020.
Auckland Action Against Poverty Coordinator Brooke Stanley Pao thinks that addressing poverty by increasing benefits to liveable levels is a major action that can be taken in resolving a major part of the issue, and is something that can be done in the short term.
“This is a clear indication that increasing benefits to liveable levels is not a priority for this Labour government” said Brooke Stanley Pao. “The Prime Minister is choosing to keep people and families in poverty”.
“Referring to $25 as a ‘substantial increase’ in benefit levels is so problematic and disconnected with the realities of people who are living day to day in this country, and to be frank it reeks of privilege”.
“The Winter Energy Payment was doubled this year due to Covid, and finished on the 1st of October 2020 which means people are no longer receiving it. We urged the government to keep this going so people and families can have that little bit extra until they increase benefits to liveable levels but this didn’t happen”.
“This Labour government has consistently campaigned and talked about being ‘transformational’ in their approach to social issues like welfare reform and we are yet to see any of these slogans backed up by real and lasting action”.
“I’d like to challenge the Prime Minister and politicians to live on current benefit levels for a month and see how they find themselves. They have no idea what it’s like having to live day to day and it really shows, as they truly believe they’re doing enough at the moment which simply isn’t the case”.
“With now over 60+ organisations calling for an increase in incomes to liveable levels, they have the mandate to do this. What they lack is the political courage”.
“Referring to $25 as a ‘substantial increase’ in benefit levels is so problematic and disconnected with the realities of people who are living day to day in this country, and to be frank it reeks of privilege”.
Indeed.
Benefituries kept poor despite a group of 50 expert groups supmitting a petition.
Farmers lose grops as no pickers allowed in
Accoring to an expert our Quarantine workers are at risk due to poor quality masks
Houses prices climb for buyers and renters
Jacinda smiles and everyone is happy .
In 1990 the National party during their mother of all budgets cut the benefit rate by 20$ per week. I was on a benefit at this time having just returned from Australia where I had been working fulltime and it was very hard surviving back here. It was also hard to get a job when you were a Maori without qualifications. National recently increased the benefit rate giving back what they took when in office, but this was far too late and far too little. The cost of living has gone up tenfold now with housing costs taking most of peoples income. On that basis benefits need to be increased immediately by at least another 30 – 40$ per week. We know all of this money will go straight back into the economy and so this little bit of extra money will be a good investment. In the short term our government needs to work extensively with those beneficiaries that they can get into work. And their long term plan should be to help those on benefits to become more employable, those that have been languishing on welfare for too long. We rely too much on foreign workers, the pandemic has highlighted this so this needs to either stop or be reduced. Some people can’t get jobs for good reasons others need upskilling or retraining. The entire MSD, OT and other government agencies need a total revamp, we have the wrong people and some of these people have warped ideology and they should not be there, why? they are not fit for purpose, they are not helping the very people they are well enumerated to help. In fact some of our state servants are hindering peoples progress they are blinded by their own unconscious bias and they have entrenched unhelpful practices. If ever there was a time for change it is now when the entire world is in turmoil. We must invest in our country and our people and we must to this wisely with a comprehensive plan, we are not as wealthy as our Aussie neighbours and many other countries so we must be smart. NZers are very good at doing a lot with less, we have become accustomed to this and it is this attitude that must prevail.
You are 100% correct when you say that the emphasis should be getting long term unemployed in to paid employment. Many governments of both/all hues have tried.
Ruth Richardsons mother of all budgets was an attempt to get unemployed back to work as at the time beneficiary numbers were high as was the need for employees.
The correct response, in my opinion, is targeted assistance similar to that available today, accomodation supplements etc. Rather than handing out more gobs of money.
I was around when work for the dole was implemented. I had a number of personal experiences where this proved very helpful to those “”trapped”” in the dole trap. The major benefit was that it gave them increased self confidence to get skills/attitudes to rejoin the larger(non beneficiary) society as well as “”contacts”” in the world of working people.
It amazes me that Northland with its very large unemployment role, can not get people to help harvest crops! Giving more money to stay unemployed seems counter intuitive. Yes there will always be sad family situations that need community(government) support. But what about the rest?
@ Roys the name TRuths the game
With around 40% of children living in poverty coming from working households, the emphasis needs to be a living wage. Paid employment is only a solution to poverty when the pay is a decent, livable wage.
But that is only a solution for those able to work. However, we are also dealing with the unwell that are unable to work, which are often overlooked in this discussion.
The need, thus call for a core benefit increase is to reduce the hardship felt when people are unemployed or become unwell for the long-term.
As for targeted assistance. Clearly, with core benefits being so low it is insufficient to improve the current stats, thus the hardship being suffered. Moreover, if it is gobs of money that is your concern, it costs more to administer targeted assistance.
The correct response in this situation would be for the Government to act on the recommendations from the WEAG report.
Isn’t she the minister for child poverty. She doesn’t sound the least bit interested in actually helping lift children and families out of poverty.
Labour, the new right wing party.
Stop voting, the govt is full of narcissists who couldnt give a fuck about people at the bottom.
Fill your head full of promises then shit on you every time.
All those new Labour MPs need to have demos outside their electorate offices throughout next year, and indeed challenges like “live on a benefit for a month”, make it real!
Greens, Māori Party and Labour Māori Caucus, all need to get on board the “Raise Benefits and transform MSD” train. WINZ needs to based on a service model rather than a punishment model.
Bleating horticulturists too used to virtual slave labour from the Pacific, need to pay living wage and contribute to transport and accomodation for their new generation of workers. WINZ needs to drop stand downs, and drastically shrink abatement rates for income received while on a benefit. In these Covid times it should be seamless, not a major headache, to move from paid work to welfare and back again.
Gee Mark the newly elected government have three years to prove themselves you have given them 2 weeks now you need to be fair and give them a chance. And it sounds like you need to calm down and take a chill pill.
They have had 3 years what did they do? Can you say what they intend to do in the next 3 years as they had little in the way of policy
Reduce inequalities, build more state houses, keep the virus out, reduce DHBs, improve courts and corrections so as to reduce Maori over representation, reduce NEETS, implement changes to public education curiculum to improve TOW relations.
“I’d like to challenge the Prime Minister and politicians to live on current benefit levels for a month and see how they find themselves.
Absolutely!!
Seriously, there is a case to be made for MPs to ALL have to live on the same amount as beneficiaries.
(We might then see some changes – heh)
50+ Organisations. Obviously the next step is to get together and work out a plan to use Martin Luther King tactics.
Just remember that the Tory scum did nine years of nothing as well. That said, the labour party has committed to hard right economic policy of neoliberalism, and if you think that was going to mean real improvement in kiwi lives you were just lying to yourself.
Is any one really surprised that Neo-labour choose to do nothing tangible to assist people and families in poverty? Meanwhile Kidscan and Countdown produce a self congratulatory TV ad. Proud to feed 10,000 New Zealand children (FFS). The huge reliance on charities wouldn’t be necessary if any NZ government would jettison proven to to fail, neo-liberal capitalism.
Sorry I don’t agree with you Roy. National introduced punitive measures for beneficiaries they also took away steps for people to climb the ladder. I got the TIA national got rid of it. They also introduced employment laws that favored businesses too much. In the 9 yrs they were in, inequalities increased as they did last time they were in. I suggest benefits rise but a plan is put in place to reduce beneficiary numbers without punishing the kids. I have some ideas to reduce numbers these are ideas they haven’t used before. We already know some people are lazy but not all people. In fact most Nzers want to work I know what it’s like to be on welfare but I got help and others need the stepping stones to. There are some genuine people not all beneficiaries are lazy bludgers. Not all people can drop everything to go and pick fruit. Accommodation needs to be factored into these jobs.
Better off sending that letter to Father Christmas.
We’ll be paid more by Christmas.
If only in our dreams.
“Fare is what you pay to ride the bus. That’s the only ‘fair’ I know.”
I think Labour is making for a Naive Government and are going to get knocked around.
Labour campaigned with zero policies, just the promise of moving in the same direction, on that they are delivering.
Two-tier Robertson said twice as much was given to recipients of the wage subsidy versus non Covid beneficiaries because they were unemployed “through no fault of their own”. So not only is there money available, this out of touch government used it to protect only some of the population, those deemed worthy in some arbitrary time and place, and then they beat down on other beneficiaries as being unworthy. I would love to have seen the sentiment if Covid unemployed were forced to live on half of what they received while also dealing with the degenerates at WINZ. Fuck you Robertson, go and give your wage subsidy to your high flying corporate mates now paying out executive bonuses
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