Let this report be our cry – State of the Nation 2018

Cover image from Kei a Tātou – It Is Us: State of the Nation 2018

Walter Whitman was an American Poet who wrote of democracy as a diversity of people seeking unity. He sought to lift up the value and the significance of the everyday person in the development of society.

Yesterday, the State of the Nation 2018 report was released nationwide, including in Hamilton, Kirikiriroa. The report is titled – Kei a Tātou – It is us. The title is inspired by Whitman.

There is no nation, no society, no corporation, no entity at all without people and the relationships they have with one another. The statistics in the report tell a story, a stark narrative of sorrow. Is it our story? Is this us and, if so, who are we?

The idea of one nation, of one Aotearoa New Zealand, of one us, is not one that Poverty Action Waikato subscribes too. We acknowledge the United Nations of Māori hapū that signed He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (The Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand). We also understand that Pākehā were welcomed to this land but only on the conditions outlined in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. No statistics can be interpreted well without knowing our history, and the ongoing process of colonisation.

We value the Salvation Army reports for what they share with us. The statistics, as Anglican Action’s Karen Morrison-Hume suggests, outrage us. As one woman reflected at the meeting last night – the statistics in the report are what the government collects, and the Salvation Army reflects it back to the community. The State of our Nation paints a sorry tale. Let us cry back – things are not right!

Figure from Kei a Tātou – It Is Us: State of the Nation 2018

Child poverty has tailed off a little. Does this mean our communities are faring better? Not according to John Kavanagh from the Catholic Family Support Service. For those families who are suffering, the reality of poverty has got worse. So what does it mean to say that child poverty has lessened? Statistics without stories do not tell what we know. Let’s share stories.

Figure from Kei a Tātou – It Is Us: State of the Nation 2018

The prison population continues to grow. Why do we continue on a treadmill of what has already been done so many times before and failed? Over two-thirds of people who come out of prison, go back before 2 years. A friend was recently caught shop lifting baby formula. She was sent to court. She was stealing, but what would this story look like if aroha was our response and if aroha guided us in the first instance so that these desperate circumstances were prevented?  We are heartened by some of the community responses that we hear – how people found by the police to be without the right driving license can sign up for a driver license course instead of being fined. This is a story of hope in our community.

And homelessness – it is set to increase they say, because government policy will take a while to change.

Quote from Kei a Tātou – It Is Us: State of the Nation 2018

How can we accept this? In Hamilton, our homeless community has been banned from the city centre and from Five Cross Roads. Is this the best that we can do? Peter Humphrys has long suggested that we bring back boarding houses. What do you think?

And how about wet houses (Wellington’s doing it)? These are places where people who are seriously addicted can drink safely – places where they perhaps may gather the strength to face their torrid realities that together we created.

Methamphetamine related crime is on the up, a big up. What is our response?

Figure from Kei a Tātou – It Is Us: State of the Nation 2018

The stories behind the statistics are the lives of people, our mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, cousins…They are whānau.

At Poverty Action, we are weary of the stigmatising and damaging impact of statistics and are determined to understand them in context. We are outraged and our cry is, let’s talk, let’s gather, let’s respond.

Thank you to the Salvation Army for engaging our minds and stirring out hearts.

For the full copy of “Kei a Tātou – It Is Us: State of the Nation 2018” visit http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-media/social-policy-and-parliamentary-unit/latest-report/State-of-Nation-2018

Ngaa mihi ki a tātou katoa.

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All hearts came out in Fairfield – Hamilton East By-Election Candidates Event

  Today, in an event organised by Te Whare o Te Ata, we heard from Hamilton East by-election candidates. Not all of them, but the nine that bothered to show up. In the Fairfield Hall, they addressed a community that …

Breaking Leftover Bread

In the report Breaking Leftover Bread Kaivolution and Food Insecurity in Kirikiriroa Hamilton (2017), Robert Moore and Alex Bailey interviewed people working in 13 community and social service organisations that receive and redistribute food from Kaivolution. The report reflects the observations of those who participated about the experiences of food insecurity in their communities, the barriers that people have to accessing food, and the role of Kaivolution in redistributing food in their communities.

Many participants identified that there are significant economic and logistical barriers to accessing food. Kaivolution mitigates poverty but it does not ensure food security. Kaivolution redistributes food from a heavily industrialised food system that treats food as a commodity, to community services wishing to offer nourishment and manaaki.

The stories in this report reflect the concern to ensure all people and children have food. Sometimes the food redistributed by Kaivolution is nutritious and sometimes it isn’t. Rescued food comes with no nutritional guarantee and it is not necessarily a recipe for good health. However, Kaivolution food does fill empty bellies and it can alleviate budgeting pressures so that the rent gets paid and the power stays on. While this support and food relief is very appreciated by the community, Kaivolution and other food charity services do not address the structural inequities that underpin food insecurity in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It is hoped that this research adds to the acknowledgement of the hard work of Kaivolution and others in the community, but to also encourage and contribute to an ongoing and broader conversation about social and environmental justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The report is available here: Breaking Leftover Bread

Aladdin’s Cave – a story about Mobile Retail Trucks

As a Financial Mentor (Budget Advisor) and the Education Facilitator for Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust, I witness weekly the effects mobile shopping trucks have on our community.

Yes the community as a whole not just certain areas. I will explain this statement later on.

The people who drive these Red or White Aladdin’s Cave on Wheels, they prey on the weak, vulnerable, lower socio economic areas of not just the city but the outlying areas as well. In fact the outlying areas suffer the most because they are the more vulnerable.

Why are they vulnerable?

Because they are the people who don’t have the cars, or money to put into the cars to make them legally driveable, or just don’t have a budget to pay for petrol to travel into the city to get the better deals.

And then there is the fact that they don’t have cash to spend on clothes, manchester etc. or they have a poor credit rating, therefore no ability to get a non-shark lender loan.

So what is the draw of the Red or White Aladdin’s Cave on wheels?

You can get it now and pay later. “But wait there’s more if you purchase this item we will chuck in this item for free!”

The elderly, infirmed, gullible, the poor are ushered to the opening of the cave and then they can shop inside at the leisure of their discretion, booking up everything available to their hearts desire.

I have a sole parent client who went into the cave two Christmases ago to buy a selection of clothes and toys for her children. It is now September 2017 and she owes $700! For three sets of clothes and six towels. These were originally $225.00 when purchased. If she had gone to Kmart, the Warehouse, Postie Plus etc and put these items on layby she would have only paid the $225.00 or probably less as the items are cheaper in those stores. Yes some of the responsibility lies with the client as we know Christmas comes every 365 days of the year, we have 365 days to save.

When I put that fact to clients they go yeah you’re right Christmas comes same time every year.

So it is a community and social problem, lack of education, lack of people power, why don’t people just go out onto the street and tell those damn Caves to !#$% OFF!

I have a house bound elderly client barely has enough money to pay her rent, power and insurances. Lives on $22 per week to feed herself and purchase general grocery items who wanted some companionship, so she settled for a 42 inch TV but wait one of Aladdin’s men told her he could throw in a vacuum cleaner for free if she went up to a 50 inch TV ! She can barely get around to vacuum her little one bedroom unit but she still got it anyway.

I met her two days after the deal went down because a concerned neighbour made her book an appointment with our service. By the end of our 1 ½ hour appointment I had them come back and get that 50 inch TV. I told the company that there was a serious breach of responsible lending and threatened them with exposure to Consumer NZ. Never had so many apologies ever in an hour.

A heart-warming ending but how many other vulnerable people in our community get stung?

Another case I have had is a client who had paid off her account in full with the additional 44.49% interest on top, well done to her, had an extra $20 deducted from her final account. When she contacted them to show that she had paid the bill in full, they apologised profusely and suggested to her that she now has credit and would she like to purchase other items from inside the cave.

She continually called for a week daily to ask them to reimburse her credit, nothing happened so she decided that she better seek some advice from our service.

I called this outfit and they had the cheek to tell me to write a letter on her behalf requesting the reimbursement. They put the blame on her overpayment, believing this to be their right to keep her money and use it on credit in their system.

I write letters to the Cave operators often telling them to back off my clients once their debt is cleared and never to deal with my clients again. And as I pen this off there will be another vulnerable family being approached and ushered to the Cave.

The sooner a bylaw is put in place that bans mobile caves from frequenting the lower socio economic areas or something similar the better. You never see the Mobile Caves in Rototuna!

 

Penned by Ursula Pollock

Financial Mentor/Education Officer

Hamilton Budgeting Advisory Trust

International Women’s Day Report by Kyro Selket

IWD 2017 REPORT

I want to begin by saying, THANK YOU to everyone who got involved in my crazy International Women’s Day idea. 2017 saw Kirikiriroa Hamilton offered a number of events throughout the day, which acknowledged local women and women’s communities. Before I expand I want to take this moment to thank our sponsors: Countdown (Bridge ST), D V Byrant, Kaivolution, and Hamilton City Council. Also thanks to Ivan from Nivara for opening his space for an evening of entertainment.

As I stated there were a number of events organised for the day.
IWD 2017, began with breakfast at Fairfield Community Centre. Thanks to Eddie Neha and a superb crew of cook’s, guests were offered a variety of food. This included a wonderful hot breakfast, along with muffins, fruits and cereals. Rangatahi from Fairfield Intermediate, who were participating in their week long leaders program, welcomed guests and spoke with them about their hopes and dreams. Participants also included teenagers from St Pauls School. So again a BIG SHOUT out to all those who organised, cooked, and participated in the event. Thank You.

After weeks of scorching temperatures and sun the weather decided to be problematic, unleashing a barrage of extreme rain and wind. Sadly, this saw us cancel the Women’s Market which was to be held in Garden Place. Probably the hardest event to organise, what with so many women’s organisations struggling to stay ahead of the onslaught of neoliberalism policies. Nevertheless, 12 individuals, tertiary and women’s organisations confirmed their interest. Stalls ranged from yummy food to information of consent. Whilst the weather beat us in 2017, it will not in 2018.

Furthermore our women’s workshop ‘’A Powerful and Purposeful You, “which was to be run by Sue Kohn-Taylor, a leading personal development and wellbeing coach was also cancelled. The event was to be held at the Hamilton Business Association on Victoria St, however due to an increasingly strange noise coming from Sue’s engine, she was driving from Auckland to Hamilton, Sue was forced to turn back. The professional that Sue is meant she ensured she caught up with all those enrolled guarantying they received all the workshops information. So THANK YOU Sue and I hope the car is ok now.
Important to any International Women’s Day is events that express the creativity of women. With the support of Creative Waikato and Yasmin Davis hard work, IWD held an exhibition at Creative Waikato. it was a snapshot of 12 local women’s work, presented in different mediums and from different cultural backgrounds. Whilst the exhibition was only for one day, I am sure that those who managed to visit would have been as humbled as I was by the beauty of the works on offer. Next year we are ensuring that the exhibition run for a week.

At 1pm I found myself at the Lunchtime Recital Series, held in the Dr John Gallager Chamber, Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts. Hear participants were entertained by talented women from the music and theater department. Organised by Stephanie Acraman, herself an Opera Singer/Voice Teacher at University of Waikato Conservatorium of Music, the programme included Sonta Op 27 No 2, Sexy Lady, Symphonie Espagnole, as well as extracts from ‘Gender Equality is Your Issue Too and quotes by famous women’, such as Kate Sheppard. The recital was a feat, more so because according to Stephanie, it was the first time lecturers, tutors and students, all female, had performed together on International Women’s Day.

An essential aspect for IWD in Kirikiriroa Hamilton was to highlight women who have played an integral role in shaping communities in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, as well as local women’s lives. With the help of Tracy Robinson, Margret Evans and a small team of librarians; Celebrating Local Historical Heroines was offered. This involved reproducing prints of drawings commissioned by the previous City Council of local local women. It included Hilda Ross (displayed at DemiUrgos – Victoria St), the Māori Queen Te Atairangikaahu, and others which were displayed at the Hamilton Library Popup. Continuing on this theme, Kim Samphier, manager of Momento on Victoria St, elected to profile Dame Malvina Major.

In conjunction with the displays, Margret Evans organised for Dr Diane Gordon-Burns (Ngati Mahuta) to share the story of Tainui’s 14th Century Whakaotirangi. The presentation also explored research she conducted on other local Waikato women.
To end the day participants, whanau and friends were invited to the IWD closing event at Nivara Lounge. Sixteen year old musician Mouse Varcoe and Raglans Parabola West preformed for a somewhat small but intimate crowd. It was the perfect way to end the day.

IWD has not been celebrated on such a scale for a number of years. Therefore the goal of bring this important event back onto the local map was certainly achieved. Since the event there have been a number of enquiries about what will happen in 2018 and many of those who participated have said that they would like to be kept in the loop for IWD 2018. For me the most exciting aspect of the day was engaging with a diverse group of people. It felt good to be engaging with women of all ages, sharing their hopes and dream for their lives and the future of Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

Waitangi Day – Living Wage & Mobile Retail Trucks

On Monday the 6th of February, Poverty Action Waikato joined with the Waikato Living Wage network to commemorate Waitangi Day. It was a privilege to be part of the community day hosted by Te Runanga O Kirikiriroa and The Western Community Centre.

We spent time talking with the community about the Living Wage and the difference it would make in our lives and communities. One woman reflected to us that she was able to make ends meet only because of the sharing that happens amongst her extended family. Making ends meet on her minimum wage salary alone was just not possible. Another women shared her concerns about the low wages that school support staff receive, and how vital they are to the functioning of the school and particularly to children whose needs are often over and above those of others. The Waikato Living Wage Network is now even stronger with these women joining us in our advocacy!

We also spent time talking with people about the Mobile Retail Trucks. The message was clear – people want them gone. We gathered submissions from people and our working group is now collating these into a report that will be delivered to Hamilton City Council. We will also publish this report on our website. Hamilton City Council maintains that there is very little that they can do to curb the operation of the trucks in Hamilton City. We are not so sure. We are continuing our research and advocacy in this space and listening to the voices we heard on Waitangi Day.

Thank you to all those people who shared their ideas and passion with us, and to the tamariki for painting beautiful Living Wage banners.

 

 

Submission – Oranga Tamariki: Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Legislation Bill

Submission sent – Friday 3 March 2017

1. Acknowledgement

Poverty Action Waikato appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Oranga Tamariki: Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Legislation Bill.

 2. Background

There is a very pressing need to ensure that children and young persons throughout Aotearoa are cared for in appropriate ways that enable the best possible transition to adulthood and to full participation in whānau/families, communities and society in general.

Consideration of this Oranga Tamariki Bill sits in a wider social and political context that currently operates in ways that will act against the ideals and principles outlined in the Bill. For example, the low wages people are paid, the cost of housing, the paucity of employment opportunities for young people, the individual cost of tertiary training/education, along with the rise in cost of living people are experiencing means that there are large numbers of children and young people living in households where there simply isn’t enough income to meet the basic needs for a family to live simply and well.  These factors along with the increasingly unequal distribution of wealth have certainly increased the vulnerability of any person in lower income brackets.

One of the changes that Poverty Action Waikato has noticed in their research (see Neglect and Nurture Report, May 2016[1]) in the Waikato is the increased concern about scarcity of access to housing either through Housing New Zealand or Rental Agencies.  Insecure tenancies, where the average stay in a rental property is eleven months (Howden-Chapman, 2015[2]) and the costs associated were also concerning as they have consequences such as difficulties in maintaining social connectedness, whānau relationships and often for children disrupted attendance at school.

3. Submission points

This submission will highlight some of our concerns about the Oranga Tamariki – Children, Young Persons, and their Families Legislation Bill and the general direction of CYPF.  We note that there are inherent contradictions operating when the same organisation is required to offer care for and control over the lives of children and young people that come to their notice.

 

3.1 Extension of age for young people

We endorse the recommendation to have the age of a young person extended by one year and to have the State outline an increased degree of engagement with and responsibility for young people who have been in their care until the age 21.

 

3.2 Colonisation impacts and Te Tiriti o Waitangi

3.2.1 This legislation and the operation of the Department have a long history, largely as a part of a monoculturally driven system of government, which has had a detrimental impact on Māori peoples[3].

3.2.2 Will this latest iteration of a Bill serve Māori and thus all New Zealanders with equity and support the well-being of Whanau and communities by looking after the welfare of children and young people effectively?

3.2.3 We recognise the cultural richness and resourcefulness of he tangata, whānau, hapū and iwi.  We acknowledge there are situations where children and young people really are unsafe and not well cared for in their immediate/nuclear families and need to be supported by state care systems in conjunction with the whanau and communities they are connected to.   At times, however, the welfare or well-being of children appears to operate out of a system where children are taken from families as a form of punishment for transgressions rather than an assessment of the best interests of either the child or their family.

3.2.4 We are concerned about the ongoing reference to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Principles do not feed or safeguard children in anyway and they do not by implication ensure that equitable relationships with Māori whānau, hapū and iwi as Crown partners are a requirement of any engagement in the process of caring for children.

3.2.5 We propose that in line with many of the recommendations in Puao-Te-Ata-Tu (1988[4]) that Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the three articles contained within this document be referred to in the Bill, rather than the ‘principles’.  In particular, the third article of Te Tiriti (the Treaty of Waitangi) which explicitly states: that the Natives of New Zealand (Māori) are extended Royal Protection along with the “Rights and Privileges of British subjects”.

3.2.6 In practice the Crown as the other party to Te Tiriti o Waitangi has systematically failed to deliver to Māori equitable and culturally appropriate rights and privileges since 1840.

3.2.7 We are concerned that the changes being proposed in the Bill that will remove a requirement to prioritise the placement of tamariki Māori within their own whānau will not help tamariki Māori to maintain connections with their whakapapa.

3.2.8 Further this proposed change will potentially limit the role of staff to explore the wider whanau/family relationships that could potentially support and benefit a child or children to remain within a whanau/family network.  Building and maintaining whanau connections with children were highlighted in Puao-Te Ata-Tu and reinforced in every report since that time so that any tamariki in state care have placements prioritised within their own whānau first, and failing that within their hapū or iwi, and not severed from their whakapapa and tikanga.

 

3.3 Social Investment Approach

3.3.1 We are concerned that the Social Investment approach currently being adopted is not based on a substantial evidence base that offers an analysis of the effectiveness or otherwise of this approach.

3.3.2 From a community perspective it seems that the focus of the social investment approach will mean that the areas of contracted support that are more likely to show some immediate success will be preferred to receive funding as they will be deemed to meet outcomes criteria.   He tanagta/people, whānau/families, communities, hapū and iwi who have far more complex and at times intergenerational situations of deprivation and need will continue to struggle on the margins of society as they require support and services across agencies.  This is the situation we are currently witnessing with the social investment approach to housing where people are experiencing issues of availability of and access to affordable housing with assured tenancy arrangements over time. The safety net of state housing provision that has been available for past generations is being systematically withdrawn.

 

3.4 Poverty and Inequality    

3.4.1 A recent UN report has documented our failure in Aotearoa/New Zealand to care for those most disadvantaged in our communities and the need for a systematic plan to alleviate poverty. ^[5]Addressing inequity in our country is an essential part of preventing young people coming to the attention of government services.

3.4.2 We agree that there needs to be a radical and significant change in the way children, young people are supported and are kept safe. This includes supporting whānau/families and communities to overcome generational poverty and neglect so that they can provide safe places for children be raised and nurtured.

 

4. Conclusion

Poverty Action Waikato supports the resourcing of people and communities so that children and young people live, learn, and grow well within their whanau/family and community environments in ways that strengthen their cultural learning and connections.

Dr Rose Black

Poverty Action Waikato

[1] Casey-Cox, A. & Black, R.  (2016). Neglect and Nurture: Window on Waikato Poverty Report 6 Kirikiriroa Hamilton, NZ: Poverty Action Waikato. www.povertyactionwaikato.org

[2] Howden-Chapman, Philippa. (2015). Home Truths: Confronting New Zealand’s Housing Crisis. Wellington, NZ” BWB Texts

[3] Ministerial Advisory Committee on a Māori Perspective for the Department of Social Welfare. (1988). Puoa-Te-Ata-Tu (day break). Wellington, NZ: Department of Social Welfare

[4] ibid

[5] Committee on the Rights of the Child. (2016). Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of New Zealand(21 October). Retrieved from http://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=6QkG1d%2fPPRiCAqhKb7yhsrXsJ3pRx9xOCak0Ed1mLEkIUHtKTSHNWA9ddXmo8oiUgGuB9JUoxS6ES4ymmXawE3W7Z52o%2b4tn33VBe09mSo1PELAebMOgBS4BCR%2fv23Ao

Hamilton beggars: is it ‘Do not feed the animals’?

There is something dehumanising about the campaign by the Hamilton Central Business Association to stop people giving money to beggars. It feels like the ‘Do not feed the animals’ signs found in zoos and suchlike across the world.

My family do nearly all our shopping in central Hamilton. We like its character, wide verandas and sense of renewal. We have never been hassled by beggars on our outings. But if I want to give a few dollars to someone with their hat out then I will.

The Hamilton Central Business Association talks about people getting the ‘correct’ help. They seem to believe there is a good safety net to catch up all the people they will help evict from the central city. There really isn’t.

A recent Poverty Action Waikato report, ‘Neglect and Nurture’ presents a more flax-roots picture than is usually painted by the Key Government. It illustrates the increased conditionality of public and social services in Hamilton. The inflexible requirements for accessing services means that people are often not getting the support they need.

The report tells us people who must attend a budgeting course before accessing funds may face a 2-3 week wait. That to have mental health problems now makes people more vulnerable than ever. It talks about how difficult it is to access a caseworker and about recent immigrants from the Pacific getting little support. There is insecure and overcrowded housing and the predatory activities of instant finance companies increase the likelihood of debt.

The problems highlighted are not just a Waikato issue. The report of the Cross-Party Inquiry on Homelessness published this month also concludes that a large number of eligible people are not being helped by the relevant Government agencies, Housing New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development. Other providers are not getting enough resources to deal with the volume of homelessness either.

The language of the Cross-Party report is of people falling through gaps and cracks but they seem more like gaping crevasses. Up and down the country our society is becoming more punitive when we should be doing more to help.

Beggars might well use the money for addictions but middle class people have more expensive ones. My niece and her husband accidently bought a P-contaminated house this year. It was all over the news and the house was in leafy Waikanae of all places.

Hamilton is also a very comfortable place to live for the middle classes. At home by the Waikato River there are tui and fantails and kowhai and nikau palms. On long weekends many people seem to go off to their holiday homes.

It all begs the question, in what ways are the Hamilton Central Business Association going to provide extra support for the beggars they want to remove off the streets? They could fund the support through other organisations or directly and they could lobby local and central government.

Otherwise they should just allow Hamilton’s central streets to remind us of the deeply unequal society we all live in.

Martin Thrupp is Professor of Education at the University of Waikato and a member of the Poverty Action Waikato working group.

Published in the New Zealand Herald, October 21, 2016

Vulnerability: An Ongoing Story

“We applaud the work of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services in the launch of their final Vulnerability Report today. These reports have kept issues of poverty and the range of pressing issues that those living in poverty are facing at the forefront”, says Dr Anna Casey-Cox of Poverty Action Waikato.

The NZCCSS report highlights that what social services in Hamilton are seeing on a regular basis is also experienced on a national level. “Too many people have too little. People aren’t getting out of poverty by living on nothing”, says Karen Morrison-Hume, Missioner of Anglican Action in Hamilton. “More funding is needed for services to address increasing demand and the increasing complexity of their needs, and more funding is needed for those individuals and their whānau.”

Wages have not risen sufficiently to cover increases in accommodation and living costs, the report stipulates. “Being employed on the minimum wage means living in poverty for many families we see”, says John Kavanagh, Manager of Catholic Family Support Services. “We pay a Living Wage because we believe that it is hard to survive in our community without a reasonable amount of income, and that we see many people who struggle to survive on their income. If we were all paid a Living Wage a lot of the other poverty related issues that people face would disappear.”

Food poverty and insecurity is described by the NZCCSS report as a now normalized issue facing our communities. Poverty Action Waikato’s latest report shows that community responses to food need in Hamilton are on the rise. But this is not surprising to many of the social services. “Of course this is happening”, says Robert Moore, Social Justice Enabler at Anglican Action. “If we as community can feed people who are hungry we will do it, but it’s living in the tension, because then Government can say, ‘well the community is doing it now we don’t have to’ and put up barriers to access assistance for food, or not make sure people have enough money to feed their families. But actually, this isn’t what we are funded to do. The community will always try and fill any gaps with whatever resources we have, but that’s not an excuse for Government to create them.”

 

Ends

 

See the full NZCCSS Vulnerability Report here.

Submission: Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill

22 June 2016

 

 

Background:

Poverty Action Waikato (PAW) is a regional advocacy and research organisation. Poverty Action Waikato aims to research and to advocate for action to meet both immediate social needs and to bring about necessary structural change over time.

 

Submission:

Poverty Action Waikato does not support the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill. This view in based on PAW’s recent research and relationships with the social service sector. Through our research we have identified a number of concerning issues regarding the current provision of social welfare, including people unable to access the support that they need. The requirements of the welfare system to meet certain requirements, including accessing over-subscribed budgeting services, are creating barriers to service that people are unable to overcome. The barriers to service are resulting in people sleeping in cars and resorting to charity in order to get the food that they need.

Poverty Action Waikato does support the simplification of the social security legislation that would result in more effective social welfare service to our most vulnerable populations. This rewrite bill does not achieve this, but instead entrenches a damaging, punitive approach to social welfare provision.

We are opposed to the bill for the following reasons:

• The Bill entrenches a vindictive and punitive form of social welfare provision that our research identifies as resulting in increasingly marginalised communities who are unable to access adequate social, housing and income support.
• We do not support the ongoing shift of focus away from ensuring those in need have the means to dignified survival to an unrelenting focus on paid work opportunity. We do not believe that a focus on paid work gives due recognition to the various unpaid work roles, including parenting or caring for elders in the home, that are vital to the development of a flourishing society.
• We consider that Work and Income should focus on ensuring that people who are unemployed or underemployed are provided education, training and decent work opportunity. We do not agree with the unrelenting focus on shifting people who are sick, disabled or sole parents into part-time employment that is often casualised, temporary and low paid.
• We disagree with the investment approach to welfare. This approach treats people as financial risks rather than as dignified human beings who deserve the same consideration as any other person in society. The investment approach will unfairly profile those whom the Government thinks are liable and a risk. By categorising people according to financial risk, the investment approach has to potential to heighten stigma and entrench discrimination.
• We oppose the loss of agency that will result if this rewrite bill is passed. We are opposed to the redirection of benefits without consent. When you are on a low income, you are continuously making trade-offs between basic items and expenses. Removing choice about what to spend money on would create another level of stress in an already stressful situation. The mandatory redirection of benefits has the propensity to leave families without enough to meet essential expenses and no individual discretion to meet those challenges.
• We request the removal of Sections 176, 177 and 178 from the Social Security Legislation Rewrite Bill. These sections impose a $22-$28 per week per child sanction on sole parent beneficiaries (mainly women) who are unable to identify the father of their child.  In doing so they penalise families already struggling to survive.