New welfare benefit figures confirm that New Zealand is splitting into “two nations”, with big improvements in Auckland and Christchurch but most provincial areas lagging far behind. Benefit numbers have dropped by 6.9 per cent in Canterbury and by 6.2 per cent in Auckland in the year to March, well ahead of a national decline Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Poverty New Zealand’
Auckland tough on beggars – Wellington kinder
Friday, July 12th, 2013
Wellington City Councillor Stephanie Cook says Auckland’s proposal to ban beggars is harsh, and Wellington’s approach is a much more compassionate and pragmatic option. Begging could be banned throughout Auckland under a bylaw being drafted by the council. Wellington has addressed the question of public begging by setting up an Alternative Giving Fund asking people Read more
Phil O’Reilly: child poverty affects us all
Friday, September 21st, 2012
Recently an expert advisory group made some recommendations for tackling child poverty. I’m a member of the advisory group and took part in its work because business has a clear interest in this issue – child poverty affects us all. Some of the advisory group’s interim recommendations were quite specific – on things like benefit Read more
Child poverty our biggest enemy
Friday, September 14th, 2012
Growing up in poverty has pernicious, enduring, but preventable effects on children. Research suggests that poverty is the single greatest threat to child wellbeing. Its negative effects endure and escalate across the entire lifespan. It is concerning, therefore, that according to the recent report by the Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty, approximately Read more
The “Live Below The Line” challenge
Friday, September 7th, 2012
A couple of weeks ago Jonah Lomu announced that for 5 days this month he and his family were each going to live on just $2.25 a day. This is to raise awareness for UNICEF”s “Live Below the Line” challenge. I admire his intention but will this really help the poor? Saturday’s DomPost Your Weekend Read more
City Mission sets up online food bank
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
City missions in Wellington, Auckland and now Christchurch are benefiting from an online food bank provided by a fundraising website called Fundy. “Basically we sell the products online, people go on and buy the products, and at the end of the month all of the products that have been purchased [on the online food bank] Read more
Being poor in New Zealand
Friday, July 6th, 2012
A friend recently posted on Facebook “Sleeping in the lounge with the children to stay warm….Brrrr”. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or feel sad about this. I can relate to the fact that it is a cold winter and my old 1950’s cottage is a challenge to heat up even with several heaters on Read more
200 percent increase in demand for food parcels
Friday, May 4th, 2012Welfare services in Invercargill are being stretched to their limits with an almost 200 per cent increase in food parcels needed from the Salvation Army for struggling residents during the past year. Invercargill Salvation Army Captain Russell Garbett said the national Red Shield Appeal was launched yesterday and it was hoped people would donate to Read more
We need to share more fairly
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
How is it that a family-owned company, Talley’s Group, making money from the sea and the land, is able to inflict economic uncertainty on more than 1300 other families? What does it say about the society that makes that lawful? Is it the ultimate result of colonisation unresolved, that one family, of European origin, is Read more
New Zealand families feel the income squeeze
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
More New Zealand households are under financial pressure than ever. New Zealand families are under growing financial stress as stagnating wages and salaries prove inadequate to cover spiralling costs – and even top-tier earners are feeling the squeeze. According to Statistics New Zealand’s Household Income Survey, 29,200 more families now rate themselves as having incomes Read more