What a hopeless situation this country has gotten itself into with regard to welfare. Hopeless. It is laid out starkly by Simon Collins in today's NZ Herald. Hardship itemised alongside the inability of welfare payments to meet the cost of living of a single parent despite those payments being greater than the average weekly earnings of a female living in Auckland of $798. The mother concerned receives $827 after tax. Her main problem is she is spending over half of it on rent.
It is no wonder that NZers love to invest money in property. There are so many families, often single parent, that can only afford to rent. And the presence of WINZ in the market keeps the rental charges artificially high.
There are only two answers for this mother. Move or share rental expenses. Neither prospect is easy to face but people cut their cloth. It's part and parcel of life.
Working isn't going to lift her income and if her condition worsens she may be unable to. If I was in her shoes I would move out of Auckland. Does she have parents she could stay with temporarily?
On one hand I am sympathetic. But on the other when you compare her problems with those faced by many Christchurch residents, relatively speaking, they pale in comparison.
I have met Pam Apera. A sensible woman. But she should not be putting her hand in her pocket. Silly, silly. I know. I have done it and so have other volunteers I have worked with. It's against the rules for very good reasons. Oswald will tell us why.
The parent has to take control of the situation and make some tough decisions.
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3 comments:
Seriously, Lindsay - "the parent has to take control of the situation and make some tough decisions" - that's just not the New Zealand way. Whinge and cry to the sympathetic media and hope the Government will give you even more - that is the New Zealand way.
I don't get what she is moaning about. She is getting more a week on the benefit than many people make by working their guts out, and they have the expense of getting to and from work. She could move into a cheaper reantal, or take in borders, or as you suggest, leave Auckland. Her income is huge thouugh, by most standards, and she doesn't have to dress up and work for it. My rental is much cheaper than hers, and is in Auckland. My advise, shop around on what and where you rent.
I have just been reading an autobiography by Doris Lessing, who struggled through the post War years in London, on her own, with a child in tow She had next to no money back then, and didn't expect govt handouts. No real benefits then, and she survived, by her wits, and by doing what she had to - sharing flats with others, working part time, thinking outside the square. Were the post-war years more courageous than now?
The world has become like mushy soup, no backbone, no starch. How can somone moan when handed so much money every week. This is a small fortune,weekly. She should thank her lucky stars.
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