Herald documentary: Under The Bridge
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.
Economy
poverty
Salvation Army report – NZ “Off the Track”
“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
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)
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.
Oxfam on world wealth inequality
Guardian: “The world’s eight richest billionaires control the same wealth between them as the poorest half of the globe’s population, according to a charity warning of an ever-increasing and dangerous concentration of wealth.”
Oxfam on wealth inequality in NZ
Oxfam’s report on wealth inequality in NZ has some staggering headline numbers.
If home is where the heart is, then…
What have we become?
Donate to Auckland City Mission
Auckland City Mission is calling for donations to meet Christmas demand. You can donate here.
Govt response to poverty report will tell us all we need to know about Bill English
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
As topics like Trump and the quakes take the limelight, the slow tragedies unfolding in NZ carry on in the background.
I’m a Muslim, an Immigrant and I voted Trump
Take a deep breath and transcend your fear.
Rheumatic fever – treat the cause
Millions of dollars are being poured into reducing rheumatic fever in NZ. However rates of the disease in Auckland are at least double the target level – and rising.
Michael Moore: why blowing up the system and voting for Trump will feel good
Trump is the “human molotov cocktail” that many Americans have been waiting for.
Tax-cuts or… fixing Child Poverty
Before National get too excited about tax cuts, perhaps they should sort out some of the more pressing issues in the society they govern – like all those kids in poverty.
Poverty is too difficult in Key’s New Zealand
Key is out of touch. But not so out of touch that he doesn’t know about the poverty crisis in NZ. The denial and evasions are deliberate.
How difficult to measure poverty?
Amazing lead story on RNZ – Easier to count rodents than kids in poverty, suggests Key. There are a number of good measures, […]
Fortress NZ
TS regular Tony Veitch has some practical ideas as to how we insulate NZ from the ravages of neoliberalism and climate change. Readers may agree with some, none or all of the suggestions. However, whichever way you look at it, the time for hand wringing is over. It’s time for action.
UNICEF call for action on NZ poverty
Once again this country under National is rightly shamed in the international media.
The housing crisis and the diseases of poverty
Rheumatic fever is on the rise again. It is likely that other diseases of poverty are also or will also increase as the housing crisis drags on under National.
Financial capital is crazy OP. Time to strip it back to basics.
Financial capital is way over powered in our current political economic system. Every aspect of our lives has been financialised and securitised, from our homes to our educations. From our drinking water to our power supply.
Al Jazeera on NZ homeless – watch it and weep
Al Jazeera: Once a pioneer of the social welfare state, New Zealand now has over 40,000 people who are homeless, forced to live in their cars and in garages as a result of rapid house price and rent rises and a shortage of social housing. Al Jazeera … charts the country’s fall from and egalitarian society to one with deep divisions of wealth
Meth Fries Housing NZ’s Brains
Housing NZ has admitted that it is evicting tenants when only tiny trace amounts of meth are found on the property. It further admits that the testing regime is not fit for purpose. But, hey, they have the power to make people homeless and they’re not going to let fairness or common sense get in the way of their moral panic.
When did the War on Drugs become the War on the Poor?
NZ being used as international example of a bad welfare system
NZ under National is being used internationally as an example of a bad welfare system.
Do we care? Are we going to fix it?
NZ in the international news again
What – you mean – the lefties were right?
Inequality, poverty, the rise of the working poor – people are pissed. Lefties have been saying it for a long time, but now Serious Market People can see it too.
Be Like Dad, Keep Mum (in fear).
Temuera Morrison has made a powerful video for the Women’s Refuge annual appeal. He’s making a difference. You can do something the Key Government won’t do. You can make a difference. You can stop keeping mum about domestic violence and you can help fund your local refuge.
Suck-up economics proceeding as planned – rich getting richer
Inequality in NZ is the worst it’s been in a decade. Key’s response is pathetic. We need to vote to end suck-up economics. We need to be a better country than this.
Speaking of inequality…
“Poverty NZ’s ‘new normal’ – report”. “Food bank pantries bare, emergency food grant dropping – report”. “NZ egalitarian? That’s a pretty little lie”. Hello – National supporters – where do you think this is going to end?
Our zombie economy
It’s basically flat-lining – only partially animated by immigration and a housing bubble.
Budget 2016 – F for Fail
— Deborah Russell
The Government thinks that poverty is the fault of the poor, and some budget advisers
The Government is planning to change funding for budgeting services and to require providers to become “financial mentors” rather than “budgeting advisers” as if this will improve things.
Bennett admits she was wrong
Paula Bennett has basically apologised to Parliament for claiming that National would create 3,000 new social housing beds when all that it was doing is funding existing beds to make sure they did not disappear.
In the middle of a housing crisis Housing Corp is selling state houses
John Campbell is covering the homeless crisis with stories that highlight the personal tragedies that are occurring and the complete indifference of the Government to their plight.
Homeless coverage goes international
Coverage of Auckland’s homeless goes international. The working poor are now the working homeless.
TV3 – The Hui – Special report on poverty
TV3’s excellent current affairs show, The Hui (Mihingarangi Forbes) just screened a special report on poverty. What happens to people who are kicked off a benefit?
NZ exporting poverty
By enabling tax evasion for the rich in other (notably South American) countries NZ is exporting poverty. It’s all perfectly legal. And that’s exactly the problem.