Increase Benefits for Children and Support for Young People
New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) is calling for greater levels of support, including lifting
benefit payments, for families with children and for more investment to be made in rangatahi Maori and in Pacific young
people.
After two years of releasing Vulnerability Reports NZCCSS is distressed to be reporting a real and continuing deepening
of vulnerability within New Zealand communities. “The first Vulnerability Report was published in March 2009”, said
Trevor McGlinchey, NZCCSS Executive Officer. “Now a full 2 years later almost every indicator shows that New Zealand’s
inequalities are increasing with more people becoming worse-off as support for those on benefits and lower level wages
doesn’t keep up with costs”.
“The unemployment rates for young Māori and young Pacific people are unacceptably high and have been since the recession
started”, said McGlinchey. “We must invest more in our youth – not to do so is will result in increasing cycles of
income inequality along with health and social disparities instead of a hopeful and prosperous future. Community Max,
employers’ subsidies and other Youth Training schemes need reinstating or beefing up to help get our young people into
employment”.
The Report shows that the numbers of people receiving unemployment benefits have increased by 214.9% since 2008 and that
over the last 2 years Māori youth unemployment has risen from 18% to 28.8% with Pasifika rates rising to 28.1%. In 2009
the number of children supported in homes dependent on a social welfare benefit was 211,736 now it has increased to
232,262 – an additional 20,528 children who are likely to be living in poverty.
“We know from New Zealand and international research that if children start life in poverty their chances of achieving
well in later life are greatly diminished”, said Ruby Duncan, NZCCSS President. “It’s not enough to put in place harsher
penalties and tests to force families who are on benefits to try and find work – work that doesn’t even exist. We have
to put in place strategies to better support children – including increasing benefit levels and take-home wages for low
income families with children. In the long term this will result in more successful children and greater prosperity for
all New Zealanders”.
The report also states that the increases in basic living costs such as food, power, petrol and rent have been much
greater than the increases in benefits and basic wages.
“All of these increases have been reflected in the worse-off getting much worse off and many who were doing okay now
falling into the worse-off category”, said Ruby Duncan. “As a result Christian and other social service agencies have
mobilised to meet a huge increase in need – foodbanks, counselling, budget advice, emergency housing and advocacy, even
as they themselves face funding pressures as charitable donations and government funding has not keep up with demand”.
ENDS