The grind - being poor in New Zealand

What impact does poverty have on people?

 

"Politicians or the media talk about family rather glibly.  We're talking about children. No one deserves poverty, but least of all a child." - Gerry Walker, Salvation Army, Manukau.

For children, poverty means missing out on what most of us take for granted.

• It means not being sure of three meals a day, suitable clothing, or heating the house in winter.
• It means missing out on school excursions or not being able to bring home projects made at manual classes because you haven’t paid the fees.
• It means social isolation, feelings of worthlessness, loneliness and alienation.

Poverty means not having the same opportunities.

• It means dropping out of school earlier and being more likely to be unemployed – even for high ability students.
• It means poor nutritional status and children not achieving age-appropriate developmental milestones, even when malnutrition is 'only' mild or moderate.

Poverty means getting sicker more often and dying earlier.

• It is more than three times as likely for families with incomes under $15,000 to have ‘poor’ or ‘not so good’ health. 
  
• In the North Health region between 1982 and 1994 mortality was reduced in the highest socioeconomic group by 46% - much less so in the bottom socioeconomic group (27%). 

Key Realities

Much of the following material is adapted from "The Poor List" by Tim Watkin, as published in NZ Herald 19.07.2003:

Income

When money runs short, often the only option is the humiliation of resorting to foodbanks. A solo mum on a benefit receives - if she's aged 20-24 and has two or more children - $252.60 after tax.  An accommodation supplement is supposed to top that up, but not everyone will be getting it: a lot of advocacy work is done at foodbanks when entitlement gets missed elsewhere.  Of the people coming into the Salvation Army, Manukau, 46 per cent are spending more than half of their income on housing.  The Salvation Army say the typical disposable income of the people they see is about $120 a week after housing costs.

Housing

The poorest people don't own a house. Most won't be renting either. The Salvation Army's Gerry Walker has seen a three-bedroom house with 16 people living in it. Overcrowding is run of the mill, with some people living in cars or garages. "It's slowed down a little bit," Walker says, "but just after Christmas we were averaging 10 families a week with nowhere to go. Nowhere." 

What this means is a high rate of transience, which does terrible damage to a child's education. Pre-schoolers miss out on kindergarten and start school already a year or two behind. "They very rarely catch up and the gap just widens. They get disillusioned, their confidence goes and the cycle starts again," he says. "You get the 7-year-old who's been to seven or more schools."   Shocking?   "That's low level," Walker says. "I can cite the case of a 7-year-old who's been to 18 schools. That's not uncommon."

Read more about the reality of poverty for many families

 

CPAG has created a series of case studies reflecting the realities of life for people left behind by current government policies (particularly the Working for Families package):

Case Study 1: Constantly going backwards: Deb's story

Case Study 2: Linda's story

Case Study 3: Beverley's story

Case Study 4: Max and Jean

Further resources:

• What it costs to feed our children
• DPB mums struggle
• Shiftwork impossible
• No lunch, no school
• They say Starship is full

Have you had personal experience of poverty or do you know someone who has?   We are looking to expand this section and would be interested in hearing from you.  Please contact the CPAG Administrator if you would like to contribute.