Posts Tagged ‘poverty’

“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness”. (UBI Series)

Written By: - Date published: 6:04 am, March 14th, 2021 - 49 comments

I believe, as our first Labour Government did, that everyone has the right “to a life” regardless of their perceived ,”value”.

In our country, with its excess of resources and capability, we have no excuse for poverty.

For leaving people behind.

So! You want a “plan”?

Written By: - Date published: 4:36 pm, March 11th, 2021 - 50 comments

Expecting a bit much aren’t you? We haven’t had that since Muldoon. At least he had them. The kind of people now asking for a plan were those who complained about governments that “interfered with the sacred ‘free market’” and screamed about “central planning”, “picking winners”, “protectionism” etc. They prefer just getting cheap labour to give the illusion of economic growth. And build a cycleway!

KiwiBuild doesn’t fly.

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, November 2nd, 2018 - 215 comments

More than that, it needs to be torn down before it makes a serious bid at flight.

Period. End. Done.

Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, August 26th, 2018 - 42 comments

The Scottish government has just taken a massive step to eradicate period poverty. Why not here?

Killing Them Softly With…

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, June 11th, 2018 - 48 comments

In New Zealand there is sufficient evidence to show that poor peoples’ lives are cut short because of poverty related  poor nutrition. While food banks are alleviating the worst impacts of hunger, their kindness may well be contributing to the problem. Food poverty is a systemic issue and requires a systemic response, a response that successive governments are able to avoid while charities continue to provide a buffer for the system.

Who Really is Judging the Poor?

Written By: - Date published: 2:46 pm, June 3rd, 2018 - 89 comments

Some conversations about poverty are harming those in need. Those conversations contribute to the stigma and shame experienced by struggling families, who are barely surviving, but still trying to maintain some dignity.  As a result even those in need are differentiating between the deserving and undeserving poor.

Housing Band Aids

Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, May 26th, 2018 - 54 comments

What lies behind the homelessness crisis in Aotearoa New Zealand? Is it a housing crisis or are the homeless to blame? If the problem is a housing crisis, why is there an assumption that the homeless themselves need extra services to secure and maintain rental housing?

Thank you Metiria.

Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, April 25th, 2018 - 94 comments

Some movement on social security (a thing we all deserve)

The Largesse

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 3rd, 2018 - 51 comments

April the first and second mark the days when those receiving entitlements receive a yearly increase in line with the CPI and the governments increase to Accommodation Supplement also comes into effect. So what does it all mean for those receiving entitlements?

Ruminations on deprivation

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, January 29th, 2018 - 172 comments

Man gets wet feet. Is reminded of privilege.

This. Almost.

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, December 23rd, 2017 - 26 comments

It’s not perfect. Maybe it’s a start.

The Missing Noun.

Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, November 8th, 2017 - 88 comments

When they said they wanted to eradicate poverty, I didn’t suspect they simply meant to expunge the word.

The mess that the new government inherits

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, October 23rd, 2017 - 51 comments

This post is too long to read. Its purpose is to serve as reference material, a “one stop” snapshot of where we are as a country. The mess that the new government inherits. The consequences of the nine long wasted years of National. The magnitude of the challenge ahead of us.

A report from South Auckland – it is time to change the government

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, September 22nd, 2017 - 17 comments

Reason #4637 why we need to change the government – Midwife reprimanded after speaking out about abuse and neglect in South Auckland

Nats “discovered poverty last week” – and will forget it just as quickly

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, September 21st, 2017 - 72 comments

Ardern’s jab that English “discovered poverty last week” was the line of the debate. After the election National will forget it again just as quickly, if the record of the last nine years is anything to go by. Do you want to vote for that?

Malnutrition – in NZ FFS

Written By: - Date published: 6:20 am, September 20th, 2017 - 49 comments

Stunningly depressing piece by Kirsty Johnston in The Herald yesterday – Number of New Zealand children hospitalised with malnutrition doubles as food costs bite.

Proud of your legacy, National?

Shameful poverty – why we must elect a Labour led government

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, August 31st, 2017 - 48 comments

Two excellent but very disturbing pieces in The Herald yesterday. This crisis in poverty, housing and health is a national disgrace. It is why we desperately need to elect a Labour led government in September.

English on poverty – hasn’t read his own PREFU

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, August 24th, 2017 - 14 comments

After nine long years the election is forcing National to acknowledge the poverty in NZ. Bill English is promising to throw money at bootcamps and “social investment” (targeting) – but he hasn’t read his own PREFU.

Do you?

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, August 11th, 2017 - 69 comments

In the interests of keeping it simple, an obvious fact or two and a basic proposition.

Reactions to Metiria – the political and the personal

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, July 29th, 2017 - 181 comments

There are basically two kinds of reaction to Metiria’s bombshell, the practiced “outrage’ of the usual political operatives, and the support of the ordinary people. I think that the louder the operatives shout, the more that people are going to side with the under-dog.

This is not an image of a Low Flying Penguin.

Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, July 16th, 2017 - 62 comments

It’s also is not a picture of a person claiming entitlements who has not felt compelled to bend the truth when dealing with WINZ. Both images would be equally difficult to find.

Nats panic over climbing prison population – I have some advice

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, July 15th, 2017 - 70 comments

The government is “seeking advice” over the skyrocketing prison population. I’m happy to oblige – but they aren’t going to like it…

Slum rentals in the brighter future

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, June 8th, 2017 - 24 comments

The Sunday Star Times had some gut wrenching coverage of the conditions in some of Auckland’s slum boarding houses. How can anyone vote for three more years of this?

NRT: Inflation and poverty

Written By: - Date published: 4:13 pm, May 4th, 2017 - 8 comments

I/S at No Right Turn writes: “The CPI is out today, and it shows that the poor are getting poorer … This is a long-term trend. Since National took office, inflation for poor households has been nearly twice that of rich households.”

Typhoid in Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 3:48 pm, April 4th, 2017 - 76 comments

The typhoid outbreak in Auckland is very bad news. Now would also be a good time to reflect on NZ’s generally poor record on child poverty and disease.

Herald documentary: Under The Bridge

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 11th, 2017 - 9 comments

If you didn’t catch up with this in The Herald this week – Under The Bridge – you should take a look now. An excellent piece of long-form journalism.

Salvation Army report – NZ “Off the Track”

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, February 8th, 2017 - 61 comments

“The absence of any meaningful progress in reducing child poverty rates over the past decade—and the lack of interest by Government in using welfare and income support programmes to do so—points to wilful indifference toward the long-term personal and social impacts of this avoidable harm.”

Poverty and health

Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, February 4th, 2017 - 43 comments

Socioeconomic status is a major health risk factor. Not exactly a surprise is it.

Minimum wage increase doesn’t meet real costs (the CPI is broken)

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, January 25th, 2017 - 53 comments

Any increase in the minimum wage is better than nothing, but National’s increases have not kept pace with the real cost increases (notably housing) faced by low income earners. That is why we are seeing the rise of the working poor, and increases in homelessness and poverty.

Govt response to poverty report will tell us all we need to know about Bill English

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, December 13th, 2016 - 264 comments

The 2016 Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report is out today. As usual it paints a bleak picture. What will Bill English’s government do about poverty – evasions, words, or actions? Update: Bill fails.

Child abuse and poverty – still with us

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, November 28th, 2016 - 33 comments

As topics like Trump and the quakes take the limelight, the slow tragedies unfolding in NZ carry on in the background.

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