New Zealand is now just as divided as the UK, the country
that many of its citizens’ ancestors left in order to find a more equal
society. In both countries, the top fifth get about 40% of after-tax income;
the bottom fifth get just 8%.
One in four children in New Zealand live in poverty - where their parents don't
have enough money to pay bills and purchase everyday essentials - and one in 10
are in severe poverty. Children which "most New Zealanders would think are
absolutely clearly materially poor" was identified at about 110,000. Māori
are still the worst affected followed by our Pacific Islanders. Rates for
deaths from medical conditions relating to socioeconomic status were more than
three times higher for Maori and more than four times higher for Pacific
compared to European children. About 17 per cent of children regularly go
without what most New Zealanders would consider "essentials", such as
fruit, vegetables, and good shoes. Three in five children in poverty will
likely remain in poverty for most of their childhood.
"The proportion of New Zealand children who are sick
with preventable diseases related to poverty remains very high, and should be a
concern for all New Zealanders," Paediatrician Professor Innes Asher, of
the Steering Group of the NZ Child and Youth Epidemiology Service said.
“ One in four New Zealand children aged up to 17 were still
living in poverty," director of the University of Otago-based NZ Child and Youth
Epidemiology Service Dr Jean Simpson said. "There is plenty of research
that shows that living in poverty can be bad for children's health.”
Child Poverty Action Group health spokesperson Dr Nikki
Turner said the study showed "far too many" children were living in
poverty and bold action was needed. "This problem is too difficult to be
addressed by piecemeal measures”
A small percentage of the population have the majority of
the wealth because of the way the economic system is set up. Big business policies
coupled with land-locking laws, ensuring that house prices are astronomical and
rents are high, mean that the majority of people find their incomes disappear
into the pockets of landlords, banks and councils before food and clothing can
be a consideration. Cynical politicians are happy to see a high unemployment
because it means there is a large labour pool and wages can be kept to a
minimum. At a time when families with two working parents are forced to fall
back on food banks and social services to survive, you can know that despite
what people are being told by those in power, there something is something seriously,
systemically wrong.
The solution? Break free of the paralysed state that most
New Zealanders currently endure and demand an alternative. SOYMB takes this
opportunity to remind visitors from New Zealand that there exists a small but
active socialist party, the World Socialist Party of New Zealand. Go to:
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