Tom1983

You are right

Here's a family that has been living in poor conditions recently and now look to be living in a tent..

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/new...rough-the-gaps

Bad enough that they're in a yellow stickered place at the moment

Here she is, trying to earn a living on the minimum wage sorting her life out and now is experiencing this. I believe her children will be classed in the poverty section

I even decided to take a look at the current rental market in Christchurch and well if there isn't a problem with the rental market in this city, then there isn't a single orange cone anywhere and it's all a figment of the imagination for car drivers

No wonder she's finding it extremely difficult since unless she fancies moving into a one bedroom apartment which would be totally unideal for her (and she wouldn't get one of those places designed for the rebuild workers)

Yet there's no housing crisis apparently nor is there a rental market problem???

bourbon-biscuit

That is such a heartbreakingly sad story. I can't believe the only option left to 'solve' her housing issues is to pitch a tent in a public park for her and her kids and have wardens stand guard. How can this be happening to Kiwi families when my landlord is currently buying her fourth property ... all on money made in the UK property boom and brought over on a favourable exchange.

pippalonghorn

The landlord that owns the property in which that poor family are having to leave needs to be shot with shit. it's 2 weeks before Xmas.

But sadly they won't be the only family that faces being homeless at this time of the year.

That's right government... Spend all your cash on sporty things like boats and new stadiums. Just what New Zealand needs.

Justcol

Then the only solution is education.

I for one don't want to and wouldn't give anything to support a charity for this cause.
It would be like throwing pearls before swine, there are organisations out there to deal with
this, but without education its nothing more than a pointless handout

bourbon-biscuit

Pearls before swine? Do you mean to sound so insulting and ignorant?

pippalonghorn

I work for an organisation that deals with poverty and we do not get enough funding from the government. We rely on the generosity of the public to help us too.

I'm sorry to say that it's people like you who choose to ignore this problem that need educating. Any one of us could end up in that situation, and if I ever do, I hope that I don't come across the likes of you.

Purrball

Hmm. Looks like the spirit of the season is alive and well in this thread.


A few years ago, when talking to my brother over here in the UK, I asked him what New Zealand was like, how had it changed in all the years I'd been away.

'It's become really Americanised', he replied. Not exactly sure what he meant, but perhaps shredding the social safety net and a commitment to full employment might have been what he was aiming at. New Zealand: unquestionably adopting every nutcase theory coming out of Wisconsin, when many years ago, New Zealand was a model society that other countries tried to emulate. Used to be, many years ago, that those coming out of school in New Zealand with poor prospects for whatever reason, would have found stable and reasonably well-paid employment on the railways or in the meatworks, for instance.

Not sure what education can do in the cases of people working on minimum wages and having to house their family in tents, families sharing 10-12 in a two bedroom house with terrible insulation or countless sick children filling up hospital beds with third world respiratory diseases. Besides, New Zealand has a relatively high standard of education, especially childhood literacy...

...but instead of showing some insight and understanding how society is becoming increasingly systematically weighted against those with challenges and thinking things through as to how it impacts on the rest of the population in a range of areas from public health to crime and how it cascades down through the generations, it's far easier and much lazier to point fingers and make sweeping generalisations. Only problem with this, is that for those with the eyes to see, is that this kind of cheap and ugly transparent prejudice is always and only about smugly making yourself feel better at the expense of others.

For those curious about what New Zealand was like before you arrived, or possibly in some cases, when you were a child, before your time, this is worth checking out for some relatively contemporary history:

http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/in-a...of-plenty-2002

You can see all eight parts by flicking through the clips on the right hand side of the linked page. Back then, New Zealand might not have been the most vibrant and glamorous of places, but it was certainly a more stable and egalitarian place to live for everybody from all walks of life.

So, when you stop to ponder why houses in New Zealand have become so absurdly expensive and why the cost of living seems to be so high, there used to be a time when that wasn't so... and then think of how regressive the tax system has become since with GST levied on everything and capital gains remaining untouched. Great to think of how your house price must be steadily climbing... until you stop to think of all that unproductive capital, billions of dollars, all tied up in wooden houses with tin roofs, with money and ownership of assets streaming out of the country to Australian and Asian banks. And the question then arises: what purpose does an economy serve and actually who for?

There is a club... and you are not in it.

Catchafire

Steady on now please.....I appreciate its an emotive subject and one very worthy of discussion. Buts lets try and keep the personal snipes out.

Education, employment opportunities, stopping inter-generational benefit cycles, are all long term social issues that require long term policies and political will. But if the 20% do not tend to vote, then governments will always pander to the 80% of the population that can stand on its own two feet.

pippalonghorn

I do apologise. The post I was responding to did say that they would not donate to such organisations that help out. If no one helps then the problem will only get worse.

I will rephrase. If I end up in that situation then I hope I am fortunate enough to meet the kind of people who do help out.

Catchafire

No worries and I am sure that you are making a difference to peoples lives everyday Pippa and your passion come through very much.

bourbon-biscuit

I didn't report it cos I didn't see how it could be interpreted as a personal attack. I actually came back to delete my post because I suddenly remembered a rule about questioning mods, which I think I inadvertently did above - sorry, I do appreciate it's a thankless task!

BEVS

It does sound a bit that way doesn't it.

Perhaps JustCol could explain a bit more as he can come across a bit abrupt at times , which is his post style I think.

Is it a judgement call on an entire group of people. Those in poverty?

BEVS

Good one. I am very interested and will settle with it later on today. I've heard tales from the elderly around us and it is just so different from the tales my parents had.

True.

bearskin

Strange to ponder whether your newer post about the 'spirit' of anything might be linked to your previous one somehow?

Which you have declined to answer my questioning of, I note?
I'll ask again, what is this 'glowing ideal enclave' of mine?

BEVS

An article today here

It would seem the eminent Mr Key thinks the way for poor people to solve poverty is through work. Would that be the workhouse then?


What an attitude. How clueless can you get about causes of poverty.

I didn't realise the % of children living in poverty was considered by UNICEF to be 25%. I am shocked and ashamed TBH.

Time to change the government and for the voting public to insist the issue is practically addressed.