There has been an increasing number of dogs being surrendered to rescues - which are already at capacity - as owners find they can not afford food of vet bills.

Tyra Basilicata opened the Wellington Dog Food Bank just before Christmas and the demand has been overwhelming. She has given more than 700kgs of food to more than 200 dogs since 1 January. Read more

The report, Nga Tukunga Iho - The Things We Inherit, offers an annual assessment of the country's social progress - this year especially -

• children and youth
• housing
• crime and punishment
• social hazards
• work and incomes

Lt-Colonel Ian Hutson, The Salvation Army's Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit director, notes the new government has inherited a mix of successes and obstacles from its predecessor.

He emphasises the impact current policies will have on future generations and the responsibility to foster a better living environment for all New Zealanders.

While the report acknowledges significant progress has been made in recent years - reductions in child poverty, an increase in social housing units, sustained low unemployment - it also points to worrying trends.

These trends include the deepening cost-of-living crisis hitting lower-income households hardest. Rising rental costs are outpacing inflation and there are overall increases in food insecurity and financial hardship.

The State of the Nation report is unequivocal in its call for the new Government to take decisive action.

Hutson stresses the need to build upon the progress achieved and to adopt successful strategies to navigate the challenges ahead.

Concerns for Maori wellbeing

One of the report's key findings pertains to Maori wellbeing.

Persistent inequities affecting Maori in education, housing, employment and the criminal justice system need to be addressed, it says.

To achieve this, the report advocates for the importance of resourcing kaupapa Maori approaches to enhance well-being for whanau, hapu and iwi.

Children and Youth

The report's Children and Youth section has both positive and negative news.

On the plus side, it rates child poverty reduction as a significant achievement.

However, it also notes poverty's disproportionate impact on Pasifika, Maori, and children living with disabilities. It stresses the need for targeted efforts to meet Government poverty reduction targets.

The report also states that young people continue to tell of high levels of mental distress.

Housing

The report's Housing section paints a grim picture of unaffordability and homelessness. This is exacerbated by a decline in new housing consents and a surge in inward migration, it says.

The report calls for an urgent increase in public housing supply to address the growing backlog.

Crime and Punishment

In terms of Crime and Punishment, the report indicates an overall increase in reported and unreported crime and notes that violent offences are increasing.

Enhancing access to housing, employment, education and social services would be more effective in reducing crime than implementing harsher punishments, the report suggests.

Social Hazards

The Social Hazards section notes a positive decline in alcohol and drug consumption.

At the same time, it points to rising gambling losses and signs of increased financial hardship. One such indicator is the increasing number of calls for early KiwiSaver withdrawals on the grounds of financial hardship.

Work and Incomes

Under the heading Work and Incomes, the Salvation Army State of the Nation report highlights the continued high levels of employment but raises concerns about the rising unemployment and the persistent wage inequality affecting women and ethnic minorities.

It says high inflation is putting pressure particularly on low-income households. Furthermore, food insecurity for households with children has increased.

Source

• Supplied: The Salvation Army
• The full report is available from the Salvation Army.

The groundbreaking move is an initiative of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, affectionately known as Vinnies.

The innovative initiative programme promises to arm residents with strategies to save approximately $1000 annually on power bills.

Healthy Homes marks a significant step forward in the region's battle against financial strain.

It is an ambitious target to slash household power consumption by 30 to 40 percent.

The programme starts with a home inspection aimed at educating residents about the most efficient use of appliances and adopting energy-saving practices.

The architect of this visionary programme, Mike Rolton, is also the general manager of Vinnies.

Rolton highlighted the tangible benefits of the initiative, particularly the significant savings from the simple act of replacing traditional lightbulbs with LEDs.

"We give 12 LED bulbs per house, and the saving for each household per light bulb is approximately $37.80 per year. That's a saving of $465 just from lighting" he says.

Moreover, Vinnies is advocating for a switch to a power provider that offers a flat rate, eliminating extra or disconnection fees, which could save households an additional $500 depending on their power usage.

This move is part of a broader strategy to alleviate many people's financial burdens, especially in light of the increased demand for food parcels witnessed in late 2023.

Rolton says the conception of the "Healthy Homes" programme was a direct response to the rising need for support within the community to provide a more sustainable solution to financial hardship.

"We started to think about healthy homes in November, and we hired two new people because we knew it would be tough this year" he explained.

The programme addresses the immediate need for energy savings and reflects a deeper understanding of the interconnected challenges faced by families in the region.

Stories from residents struggling to afford basic necessities highlight the critical importance of initiatives like "Healthy Homes."

Source

• Waitako Herald

Figures obtained from a written Parliamentary Question from National's Chris Bishop paint a worsening picture across much of the lower and central North Island for those seeking a place to live.

The Ministry of Social Development figures show as of June 2023, the average consecutive time a person was spending at an emergency housing facility in Upper Hutt was 50 weeks - just two weeks shy of a full year. Read more

As prices rise on the supermarket shelves and at the petrol pump, the costs of sending tamariki to school has taken a toll on many families.

In Rotorua, Western Heights Primary School principal Brent Grissin said the bus bought for school trips had now an extra purpose.

"We initially bought the school bus to assist with school trips, but it's become a mean to get kids to and from school. Read more

"We're going to families whose kids aren't attending, and asking: ‘What can we do to help your son or daughter to get back to school?'" said Wendy Esera, principal at Henderson Intermediate.

"And parents are saying, ‘Look, I haven't got a uniform for them'."

Esera has been in the education sector for over 44 years, and says student poverty is the worst she's seen. Read more

The latest figures show beneficiaries owe $200 million more than the same time last year.

In this year's Budget, the Government gave those over 18 and earning $70,000 or less a $350 cost of living payment to help them with the effects of rising prices, but it refused to extend the payment to beneficiaries and superannuitants. Read more

It made the comments in its submission to the Finance and Expenditure Committee about the Budget Policy Statement 2022.

Inequality has increased during the Covid crisis and both short-term and long-term measures are required to deal with this, Caritas said.

Listening to local and most-affected communities would help, Caritas suggests. This way the Government will be better informed to tackle ongoing crises.

Its submission spells out five specific concerns for the Government to consider.

Housing

Unaffordable, unavailable housing is an issue numerous support agencies are anxious about.

The cost of living is scarily high. Rental prices have surged yet again to an average of $575 a week. That's an increase of 7 per cent on last year. If you're living in Porirua, you'll be spending an average of $670 a week.

"The rent increases are huge and it's having a real impact on whanau, their ability to provide the necessities," says Porirua's Salvation Army Nicki Dutton.

"Lots of people are staying with friends or staying in cars, a lot of overcrowding. I've heard recently of a family of 13, extended whanau in a three-bedroom house."

Caritas says access to a wide range of safe, affordable and healthy homes remains one of New Zealand's most pressing social issues. It's a concern that is affecting people across the country.

It would like to see a broader approach to accommodation being taken: including it "in the objectives relating to physical and mental wellbeing, and the just transition."

Environmental support

Caritas says increased climate funding to address the climate emergency needs to be accountable to taxpayers and communities most in need.

"Assessment of impact needs to be based on criteria relevant to local communities," says Caritas.

"We support directing proceeds from the Emissions Trading Scheme to the new Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and look forward to seeing clear directives, funding criteria for projects and evaluation of impact towards New Zealand's climate response."

Health and COVID-related funding

Caritas submitted that the government needs to prioritise appropriate funding and relevant data for Maori, Pasifika, the elderly, people with disabilities and those with underlying health conditions.

The health system's overhaul needs to take sufficient account of subsidiarity - that decisions be made at the most appropriate level to ensure responsiveness and accountability to local communities.

Technology

Caritas welcomes new technologies and greater digital connectivity to provide jobs and more sustainable ways of working.

Technology and the economy must serve the common good of humanity, the Agency cautioned. "Nothing can replace face to face encounters and the need for genuine human connection and interaction."

It recommends an "integrated approach to providing services" to allow "full participation in ways appropriate to different people."

Te Ao Maori

"We support inclusion of Te Ao Maori perspectives with the Living Standards Framework as applicable to the wellbeing of all ... and which also supports a long-term intergenerational approach to wellbeing," Caritas wrote.

Source

• NewsHub
• Supplied: Caritas Submission on Budget Policy Statement 2022

Fairer Future Collaboration spokesperson Brooke Pao Stanley, of Auckland Action Against Poverty, says it's time for the Government to "level up" income support so everyone can live with dignity. Poverty was forcing people into impossible situations. There are long queues at foodbanks (pictured),

Those working in the field, like Liz Davies, agree. Davies is the general manager of SociaLink, the umbrella organisation for the Western Bay of Plenty's social agencies and charities.

"As we are seeing more working people accessing local services such as Foodbank for the first time, you can only imagine how much people relying on benefits are struggling.

"Without sufficient income to cover the basic costs of life, many people inevitably end up in debt which makes it harder to climb out of poverty," she says.

Davies says local social service providers are working "very hard" to support and empower people on low incomes and benefits.

Ensuring people have a liveable income would make a huge difference to whanau who then wouldn't require food parcels and would be more likely to access health services, she says.

The shortfall

An update of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group's (WEAG) modelling on what income is needed to meet basic costs shows the difference between what people get and need.

It found the majority of people receiving income support still won't have nearly enough to live on, even after the April 2022 income support increases.

The update compared WEAG family cost estimates, inflation-adjusted for 2022, to Government estimates of April 2022 benefit entitlements.

The result? Some of the country's worst-off families face shortfalls of up to $300 a week.

Twelve out of 13 families won't be able to meet their costs. Nine won't be able to meet core essential costs like rent, food and transport.

Here's an example. A couple with three children receiving the Jobseeker allowance need around $300 extra a week to meet their total costs.

These costs include children's sport and a contingency fund for unexpected bills.

Even if you pared everything back to their core costs, they couple still need an additional $165 a week.

Here's another example. A sole parent with three children will require around $240 more a week to meet total costs. Take away everything except the core items and there's still a $111 shortfall each week.

A single person receiving the Jobseeker allowance and sharing a house will need about $90 more every week to cover all costs.

"We urge the Government to do the right thing and ensure liveable support for all," Stanley says.

Key changes needed

The Fairer Future Collaboration is calling for seven key changes to income support. These include:

• increasing core benefit levels to the standard of liveable incomes
• raising the minimum wage to the living wage
• increasing the Disability Allowance
• overhauling relationship rules
• removing sanctions
• wiping debt owed to the Ministry of Social Development
• improving access and supplementary supports to meet basic needs.

Source

• SunLive
• Image: Stuff

It is a good time to look closely at household budgets and seek help if the budget doesn't balance.

• International crude oil prices have risen sharply.
• Global demand is still rising.
• Supply is increasing, but not fast.
• Sanctions on Iran could disrupt supply.

It is a mixed bag to say the least.

Rising oil prices, a falling exchange rate and rising taxes have increase the cost of fuelling up. This will affect households and businesses. Transport is deeply embedded in our economy.

Transport is also a necessity, rather than a luxury. When fuel prices increase it is hard to avoid. So the money spent on fuelling up increases, and other spending on nice-to-haves falls.

The price increases can also take a while to come through.

The cost at the pump increases quickly, but the cost of freight often take time.

This means that rising transport costs take a while to come through to the things we buy at the shops.

The increase in fuel prices joins the likes of rent, home ownership, rates, insurance, fruits and vegetables. They have risen faster than incomes in recent years.

Even though there are more jobs, and firms are finding it hard to recruit labour, wages have been rising at a modest pace.

There has been an uneasy truce.

Many businesses are finding it difficult to increase prices and keeping wage costs under control has been critical to ensure profitability and sustainability of businesses.

Increasing cost of necessities is squeezing households hard.

With wage increases harder to come by, many are working longer hours to make ends meet. A sudden increase in fuel prices makes it even harder.

The impact is inevitably largest on low income households, because they have so little discretion in their weekly budget.

An increase in the cost of necessities like rent and fuel can mean sacrificing on the groceries, or delaying purchasing clothes or even modest treats. Continue reading

• Image: Stuff
• Shamubeel Eaqub is an experienced economist who makes economics easy. He is also an author, media commentator and a thought leading public speaker.

While median incomes and the number of women in the workforce has risen substantially, the money that families are putting into servicing the long-term commitments of a standard middle class lifestyle - comprehensive health insurance, a house in the right suburb and investment in education - has soared.

"It is increasingly clear that two incomes have trapped many families under a mountain of long-term financial commitments," said economist Gareth Morgan.

Continue reading