Metiria Turei’s legacy
What she did wasn’t a mistake.
Economy
poverty
A report from South Auckland – it is time to change the government
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
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?
The Green Party Policy Manifesto (fully costed and seriously progressive)
The Greens have a fully costed plan of their goals for New Zealand’s future. Anything but boring, this is bold vision, progressive values, and detailed planning as well as solid economics for the fiscal geeks.
Malnutrition – in NZ FFS
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?
Our Nation’s Stolen Generation Moment
A guest post by @invisiphilia on the recent Mahinarangi Forbes interview on the Hui on the abuse of children in foster care and why the Government is wrong in refusing to have a proper independent inquiry into what went wrong.
Rally Against Poverty – join Metiria Turei and Marama Davidson
Saturday 16 Sept 2.30pm, Otara Town Centre, South Auckland. Let’s all come together to rally for our communities that have been at the forefront on the fight to end poverty.
Marama Davidson and Chloe Swarbrick on ending poverty
The Greens have a plan to end poverty now.
Do you want to keep me in poverty?
If you want to know exactly how, then read on.
Plant trees, love NZ: the Greens’ bold Climate Protection Plan
The Greens have a comprehensive, detailed plan for NZ on what to do about climate change that works through transforming the economy, ending poverty, and protecting the environment.
After nine long years National discovers there is child poverty in New Zealand
Bill English has finally committed the Government to doing something about Child poverty. But why has he and National taken so long?
WINZ and Super Scandals
Here’s the scandal.
English on poverty – hasn’t read his own PREFU
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.
Excuses/reasons, for not doing anything about children in poverty.
Excuses/reasons, for not doing anything about children in poverty.
This is a re-post from 2013. Unfortunately the need to talk about poverty is even greater now.
A “Culture of Entitlement”?
With the current dialog about welfare, It is time to look at the people who are the real beneficiaries, of the welfare system.
Who use the educated and healthy workforce our system provides
The people who say “everyone should stand on their own two feet”, “you don’t work you don’t eat”, and “take personal responsibility”,
The business sector.
This is life on a benefit for ill and disabled people
A must read Guest Post for anyone thinking about poverty and welfare this election – a former social scientist turned welfare beneficiary speaks out on WINZ’s state-sponsored neglect of more than 84,000 long-term disabled New Zealanders.
National promises to get tough on youth crime
National has announced its policy to deal with youth crime by reannouncing a military service scheme that already exists, proposing a special category for young offenders that will have some young people seek that status and by proposing to fine parents who can’t keep their kids home at night.
NACT
“Here’s a new idea for the Tories: Why not ask a simple question every time you propose a course of action: Is this morally just?”
Real and poor
It’s time to hear what poor people have to say about being poor.
#LeftwithEnough
Mary St George writes about participatory democracy in this year’s election and the new twitter chat #LeftwithEnough.
Beneficiary reduction targets, homelessness and suicide
Most people would be shocked to learn that each WINZ case manager is assigned the target of getting a certain number of people off the benefit every month. This is one of the reasons why we have such a punitive and aggressive welfare system. Fewer than half of those removed from the benefit go to jobs. The Nats neither know nor care what happens to the rest, but links to the rising number of homeless and our shocking suicide statistics should be investigated.
New Zealand is number 1! *
* in a list of developed nations for homelessness.
The Catholic Church is urging its parishoners to vote
The catholic bishops of Aotearoa have released a pamphlet urging parishoners to vote. And apart from conservative positions on euthenasia and drug liberalisation the policies they support have a decidedly progressive bent.
#IamMetiria
If you know that feeling of dread when you get a WINZ letter, or if you’ve had roiling anxiety from being ‘called in’ for a WINZ interview, or sighed with relief when the letter from WINZ turns out to be a replacement community services card, then follow #IamMetiria. And if you just don’t recognise those, then you might want to follow #IamMetiria to find out why others do…
I am Metiria
If you’ve ever left a WINZ office crying because you asked for help and were humiliated instead #IamMetiria
This is not an image of a Low Flying Penguin.
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.
The Greens’ new welfare policy
“Green co-leader Metiria Turei described it as one of the most important Green policies in her 15 years in Parliament.”
A clear choice for voters
Herald editorial: “Credit where it is due. It takes courage to say that if elected, you will cancel a tax cut. … In doing so it has presented the voters with a clear choice which, for those without young families or earning above the income limits, will mean deciding whether to take the tax cut or give the benefit to children of the less well off.”
Employers don’t like Labour’s new employment relations package
In shocking news, it turns out that employers don’t like Labour’s new employment relations package. They (and the usual suspects) are running lines about a return to the 1970s. A time when workers’ share of the wealth was higher, poverty was lower, inequality was lower, and workers had more rights. Sounds awful.
UNICEF on our appalling child welfare record – but apparently we don’t care
UNICEF has another major report ranking the wellbeing of NZ kids 34th out of 41 developed countries. This is not new news, and apparently a lot of voters just don’t give a damn.
Is the Labour Housing policy even possible?
If Labour wins in September what state infrastructure can it utilise to deliver on its promise to build tens of thousands of affordable homes?
National’s short lived status as a supporter of pay equity
The day after Kristine Bartlett’s and the SFWU’s well deserved pay equity victory the Government has released for consultation draft legislation the effect of which would be to stop similar victories occurring in the future.
Typhoid in Auckland
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.
Social investment meets the surveillance state
First they came for the budgeting services. Now we know that every social service agency has to provide clients’ private personal data to […]
Auckland: Stop Niki’s Eviction!
Time to take action against the destruction of communities and privatisation of social housing.
Is this the impossibility turning point?
There’s a wonderful fiction still propelling the world that the 21st century will bring an ever-expanding arc of freedom and prosperity to the vast majority of humanity but the reality seems to be anything but.