Government is cutting funding for food banks

Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, June 29th, 2024 - 14 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, class, class war, national, poverty - Tags:

Are things back on track?

How about for those who can least afford to feed themselves?

It appears not with reports that funding for food banks is being slashed. And the consequence could be dire.

From an Auckland City Mission press release:

Unless the Government funds food security in the budget, Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai will have to turn families in greatest need of food away.

The government has indicated that in the 2024/25 budget there will be very little funding for provision for food, even after a direct appeal from Auckland City Missioner – Manutaki, Helen Robinson. The only funding that has been confirmed is 3.5% of the Mission’s total spend towards food parcel provision.

Since the onset of COVID, the Mission and other agencies had received support for food, although at a declining rate since 2020.

Now the Mission, and other social agencies, face the prospect of significantly reduced food services resulting in many individuals and families not getting the nourishment they need or deserve. “Without the support of government, at the Mission we will have to drastically reduce the amount of food we can give families in need from 50,000 food parcels to 20,000 food parcels annually. That is a reduction of over 50% from 1 July of this year,” says Robinson.

“This lack of appropriate Government investment will result in immediate hardship for families already struggling in tough times. We are facing the dire reality of providing 27,000 fewer meals every week for parents and children who will not have enough food to stay physically and mentally well, not enough to go to school or to work, not enough to contribute well to society. It’s a deeply upsetting and concerning prospect.”

And it is not only Auckland City Mission that is being affected. The effect is being felt throughout the country. From Ethan Griffiths at the Herald:

A Wellington budgeting service has had its government funding pulled, despite its manager saying they are “busier than ever” as people struggle with high interest rates and the cost of living.

It comes as the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) reviews its contracts with budgeting services.

It’s understood other providers across the country have had their funding cut.

The Wellington Budget Service, run in conjunction with the Citizens Advice Bureau, is staffed predominantly by volunteers but requires funding to pay for a part-time manager and office and IT equipment.

It has been funded by MSD since 2017. Last year it received $77,000.

The MSD firstly tried to blame Covid funding ending and then when it was pointed out to them that the Wellington Budget Service had been funded before Covid it then swivelled to blame “procurement processes”.

Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson has said bluntly that budget cuts have forced the City Mission to turn hungry people away.

The Government will no doubt blame fiscal cliffs but this is the thing about being in Government. You get to deal with these issues every day. And you can decide to give tax cuts to landlords or to feed the poor but this is your decision and you should take the credit for it or the blame for it.

Christopher Luxon clearly thinks helping the poor is bottom feeding. And that landlords and not the poor deserve his support.

Shame on him. And shame on National.

14 comments on “Government is cutting funding for food banks ”

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  1. PsyclingLeft.Always 1
    29 June 2024 at 1:09 pm

    The War on the Poor gears up. NActFirst scumbags !

    Dozens of free budgeting services face closure after missing out on funding

    A third of the country's free budgeting services face closure during a cost of living crisis

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/517550/dozens-of-free-budgeting-services-face-closure-after-missing-out-on-funding

    But landlords need a taxbreak !?…..

    Budgeting service cuts: 'It's like watching a train derail'

    Dunedin Budget Advisory Service – which last year received $230,000 from MSD – is not getting a cent next year, and manager Andrew Henderson was dumbfounded.

    "I feel personally devastated. I feel for our staff, I feel for our clients," Henderson said.

    "We've had many clients that we work with on an ongoing basis for whatever reason, and the fact that we're not going to be able to offer our services to those people is devastating."

    The organisation was told its proposal did not reach the "required score", which Henderson found surprising, given the service had a "great relationship" with the ministry, and there was an increasing number of people doing it tough financially.
    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/516228/budgeting-service-cuts-it-s-like-watching-a-train-derail

    The Ministry is offering…. flexibility ?

    Funding model provides 'greater flexibility' – ministry

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/516228/budgeting-service-cuts-it-s-like-watching-a-train-derail

    Im sure those People will feel so much better with more flexibility ??

    • SPC 1.1
      29 June 2024 at 2:34 pm

      There is a narrative.

      Kainga Ora build not funded, handing over their assets to others as per 1990's. Money going to other social housing providers.

      Money from budgeting services and food banks is either like that (there will be a replacement) or it is like the loss of adult education and the TIA (2009-17).

      The downgrade in food in schools approach makes the latter more likely. The people impacted will not be National voters.

  2. fender 2
    29 June 2024 at 2:35 pm

    This is truly disgraceful. Only the evil minded could be so callous.

    Dereliction of duty behavior.

  3. Patricia Bremner 3
    29 June 2024 at 3:51 pm

    This defunding of Food Banks 70% is happening with hardly a murmur in the Media.

    Does touted "flexibility" mean "new points measures" provided by Bill English?

    So we have fierce underfunding of Social Services, Public Services, Education and Health.

    Often where money is given, it has been taken from some other planned social good, such as pest control or the resilience funding.

    Oh but we will "fix" the potholes with 4 billion worth of contracts, and look, there are plenty of houses, available because 80 000 plus have moved overseas. Back on the National Track, led by a PM lacking empathy and emotional intelligence imo.

    What they are doing is fracturing our society, taking away security and creating anxiety and fear with food poverty, income poverty and worse, loss of hope.

    CoC

    will provide lip service to some social mores, especially their wealthy charities and foundation supporters, but any who sign petitions or ask awkward questions, will feel their wrath as David Latele has. He thought the PM was friendly but discovered it was friendship with a price, when he queried the lack of continuing support he was asked "why did you sign the petition?" It shows the PM's bullying imo.

    Anyone who has not realised "back on track" meant funnelling the money, now understands why that has morphed to "Isn't it great'.

    "We will help you with the cost of living crisis"… The greatest lie of the election.

    • tc 3.1
      30 June 2024 at 9:33 am

      Media assistance to the CoC continues with non coverage in this case or a complete lack of context/depth in such areas as housing, health, cook st ferries etc.

      A dry factual analysis on housing and health funding over the last 40 years against population growth as one example seems too hard even for these jonolists.

  4. Rolling-on-Gravel 4
    29 June 2024 at 10:49 pm

    This just proves that NACT doesn't even practise what it preaches: food banks are what they are supposedly all about and they're not even letting them exist?

    They are one level below even the most hardened Objectivist apologist. At least they call for privately run food banks.

    But we let food banks go by the wayside and that would leave Ayn Rand speechless in being impressed at how hardcore Scroogean is the government being.

    Even UK is abandoning the austerity approach.

    We are a nation of fools worse than even the gammon in the UK in this sense.

  5. adam 5
    30 June 2024 at 1:04 am

    Austerity, rapid and as fast as possible to wreak as much of the country as they can.

    When are conservatives going to grow a spine and call this far right wreaker crew out for the idiots they are?

  6. Kay 6
    30 June 2024 at 10:24 am

    Of course, the elephant is the room is WHY do NZers even need food banks in the first place? But the powers that be continue to ignore that discussion like the plague, and of course the media will never shame them about it. probably because none of them have ever required the services of said foodbanks.

    • SPC 6.1
      30 June 2024 at 3:11 pm

      The high cost of rent to income (or a rising mortgage cost)(loss of a job)(partners loss of a job and no access to income support)(the regime on sole parents)(lack of support to those on main benefits with debt cost)(disability benefit not being equal to super level income)(lack of savings).

  7. tWig 7
    30 June 2024 at 2:31 pm

    Politics Joe investigates foodbanks in the UK, and the political background to their necessity: Jacob Rees-Mogg: wonder full because allows it people to be charitable. Another UK minister: only used by those who have 'a temporary cashflow problem'.

  8. Stephen D 8
    30 June 2024 at 5:07 pm

    A question for the economists.

    Why do we have to pay so much more in NZ for things like dairy and lamb, compared to Tescos or Sainsbury’s? Surely transport costs alone should make home grown produce cheaper. Or am I just naïve?

  9. Descendant Of Smith 9
    30 June 2024 at 6:10 pm

    The first bit starts with trade agreements i.e. meat has to be sold in NZ at international prices. On the surface that seems fair until you factor in bulk purchasing i.e. 184 countdowns compared to something like 1500 Sainsbury's. Due to bulk purchasing discounts then we are really paying more not the same at the first supermarket level.

    We also tend to buy fresh rather than frozen which attracts a higher premium.

    GST vs VAT is another factor. Fresh, chilled and frozen meat is zero rated for VAT in the UK.

    At times it is said that in the UK NZ produce may be used as a loss leader – though I'm not sure how true this is.

    Then our supermarkets make more profit compared to turnover than UK ones.

    Lastly we’ve massively reduced our sheep numbers so much lower supply vs demand plays a part.

  10. Tiger Mountain 10
    1 July 2024 at 9:27 am

    Homeless and hungry people in our land of plenty?

    “The Standard” veterans will likely know why…40 years of a neo liberalism, State Sector Act, Reserve Bank Act, the breakdown of collectivism, union busting, contracting out, PPPs, state asset sales, winding back of state house construction (fixed a little under Labour), property a cash cow rather than accomodation and a family resource, etc.

    The Natzos farming thugs were bragging about Aotearoa NZ feeding 40 million people–yeah right–with milk powder? How about providing for our own 5 million first and not turning off the nutritious hot school lunches in favour of $3 sandwiches.