“The period over the next few years scares the hell out of me, quite frankly,” says social services expert Professor Michael O’Brien. Poor outcomes predicted “We’ve seen a series of decisions taken around benefit levels, around Working for Families, and if anything that will become more difficult and tighter and meaner, and more poverty-creating. “In Read more
Housing, access to COVID vaccination, income and well being, are some of the major concerns church leaders raised recently at a church and government meeting. As reported recently by CathNews, church leaders met, March 11, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Housing Minister Megan Woods to discuss issues of mutual Read more
Vulnerable children are bearing the brunt of Government changes to welfare benefits, with sole parents the majority of those with children having their benefits cut, says Child Poverty Action Group. Figures obtained by the lobby group under the Official Information Act show since the Government’s first tranche of welfare reforms were introduced in July last Read more
Iain Duncan Smith, British Prime Minister’s Work and Pensions Secretary, is in New Zealand to give a lecture for the Maxim Institute. His reforms are a trial run for what a local welfare working group chaired by economist Paula Rebstock has recommended here. Rebstock had a rather narrower assignment – to “reduce long-term benefit dependency”. Read more