Government out to improve state of the Nation

A new report showing families under stress from rising housing costs and poverty affirms the Government’s agenda to tackle the housing crisis and raise the living standards of all New Zealanders, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation Report, released today, underlines the real-life impacts of a decade of management that left too many people behind.

“When the number of families needing food parcels has risen by 12 percent over the past few years, there is no hiding the kind of pressure that families are under.

My government is not prepared to tolerate this, and has already made substantial changes that will give families the dignity they deserve.

“We moved quickly to introduce the Families Package, which will increase the incomes of about 384,000 families by an average of $75 by 2020/21.

“The report clearly shows the impact of nine of years of neglect and lack of social investment for the most vulnerable Kiwis.

“This includes high youth unemployment, despite job growth; minimal changes in child poverty rates, despite years of strong economic growth; and rising levels of homelessness, alongside rising rents and house prices.

“This Government will put the wellbeing of all New Zealanders firmly at the heart of what we do – and we will be judged on what we deliver,” Jacinda Ardern said.

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