Press Release – Auckland Action Against Poverty
In the lead up to the budget being released next week Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP) has planned a March down Ponsonby Road to ensure that people and families remain a priority for this Labour government.
“This March has been organised because we’re tired of waiting for the Labour government to fulfill their promise to transform the welfare system,” says AAAP spokesperson Brooke Pao Stanley.
“The communities we serve deserve to be valued and treated with dignity. They deserve to live and participate in society without being made to feel shame about their situation. The shame sits with a system that determines your worth based on paid employment.
ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF
PM Jacinda Ardern talks about child poverty after the release of statistics in Feburary, 2021. Another report was released in May. They were chanting “stop the war on the poor.” Despite the hold up, vehicles behind the group were patient. Some even joined in with the cause, including one woman who pumped her fist in the air from her window. Police were aware of the plans and told
Stuff they would help manage traffic if needed, however the march did not appear to cause any problems.
Ponsonby resident and beneficiary Rose Greaves of Ngāti Kahu/Ngāpuhi said “the struggle is real” when it comes to making her living support payment last the week.
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The amount of money the Ministry of Social Development has paid out to help people on benefits or low incomes with car repairs has tripled in the last six years. A car being repaired. Source: istock.com
By Sarah Robson - rnz.co.nz
Official figures, obtained by National, show that in the year to March, MSD spent $33.6 million helping people pay for car repairs with almost 50,000 grants, loans and advances.
In 2016, that figure was $11 million, for 22,500 payments.
Auckland Action Against Poverty coordinator Brooke Pao Stanley said for many people, having a car is essential for getting their children to school, looking for jobs or accommodation, or getting to medical appointments.
Photo: Jonathan Duran/ Unsplash
The fair pay agreement policy is aimed at improving private sector wages and conditions and encouraging firms to invest in training.
Earlier this week, the pay of public servants earning more than $60,000 a year was frozen for the next three years. Pay rises for those in this salary range can only be made under exceptional circumstances.
Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling on the government to reverse the pay freeze for public servants.
Coordinator Brooke Pao Stanley said when inflation was taken into account, many workers would experience a pay cut in real terms. We know how hard it is for people who are living on inadequate incomes. We re living through a housing crisis and the cost of living continues to rise, she said.