Written By: Mountain Tui - Date published: 1:06 pm, August 14th, 2024 - 32 comments
When Luxon claimed $1000 a week of tax-free, taxpayers money for accommodation, because he didn’t want the 2 free properties he was offered, he said he was entitled to it. But according to the government, all beneficiaries now require harsher rules or risk having their entitlements stripped. Yet only ~5% aren’t compliant and last quarter, 1500 were cut off. What do the numbers say?
Written By: Mountain Tui - Date published: 1:23 pm, August 13th, 2024 - 9 comments
The jobseeker beneficiary sanctions and targets are not adding up. It also inflicts a lack of dignity and shame on recipients at a time when austerity is actively increasing unemployment.
Written By: weka - Date published: 7:15 am, August 4th, 2017 - 247 comments
Metiria Turei speaks from the heart about how hard it is to be on welfare, and the need for a more compassionate, caring welfare system.
Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:59 pm, January 21st, 2015 - 12 comments
Falling numbers yes, but falling through the cracks.
Written By: Helen Kelly - Date published: 7:38 pm, March 6th, 2013 - 168 comments
The drought shows how important social protection systems are. When the unexpected happens – your farm dries up, you get sick, you lose your job, you find yourself alone raising your kids – the community steps in by way of tax funded Social Protection.
Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:30 pm, December 18th, 2008 - 47 comments
So, I’m out of work. I was employed on a contract and when it came up for renewal the boss told me business is too tight, have to let me go. It wasn’t their fault and they were pretty good about it. For the first few weeks I just looked for work but there’s not […]
Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 11:36 am, August 11th, 2008 - 40 comments
That nice man, Mr Key, the one who says the old Left/Right divide is over, that he’s a new man with a new (ambitious) vision for New Zealand has rolled out an unprecedented and exciting policy today: beneficiary bashing. At present, we have a world-leading benefit system. By investing in staff, WINZ has become more […]
Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:20 pm, August 7th, 2008 - 15 comments
Unemployment rose again last quarter but remains under 4%. It has now been under 4% for 16 of the last 17 quarters. Interestingly, the number of employed people also increased last quarter but more people came into the workforce who were previously not looking for work. So, workforce participation grew faster than employment grew, meaning […]
Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:50 pm, July 4th, 2008 - 32 comments
The MSD’s Incomes Report provides a wealth of information. For instance, here’s how the mean and median household incomes have moved since 1982. Households suffered a massive erosion of income during the rightwing revolution from 1984 to the late 1990s. The leftwing governments since 1999 put that to a stop that. Now, incomes have regained […]
Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 11:59 am, July 4th, 2008 - 35 comments
13% of people are living in poverty in New Zealand (defined as less than 60% of the median income, less than $40K a year for a household, $16K for an individual) compared with 17% in 2004 and 23% in 1994. Child poverty dropped 7% between 2004 and 2007. Since the Government came to power it […]
Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 3:36 pm, April 30th, 2008 - 45 comments
If National were the Government, Judith Collins would be Social Services Minister. That should be enough to send shudders down the spine of anyone who is worried about ensuring there is a safety net for the most vulnerable members of our society. Collins is rabidly anti the welfare state and a nasty piece of work. […]
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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