8 July 2014

Its official - Teamkey is not working for most kiwis

Latest Government data proves John Key is not working for all New Zealanders as the incomes of the poorest half of kiwis stayed the same in the 6 years under National, while the top 20 percent’s rose by thousands, the Green Party said today.

“The latest Household Incomes Survey shows income inequality widening further under National, but that it is made worse by rising housing costs that are forcing families into serious financial stress,” Green Party Co leader Metiria Turei said,

“Housing costs are out of control under National. New Zealanders will continue to be worse off unless the Government ensures the economy benefits everyone and takes bold steps to fix the housing market.

“After housing costs were paid, the top 20 per cent of earners’ net income rose by $6500 under National while the bottom 20 percent of earners saw their income drop, on average by $300. Half of the population saw no income rise at all.

“More than a quarter of all households – 27 percent – paid more than 30 percent of their entire disposable income on housing. Many of the poorest families were paying more than half.

“This means families are stretched so far that they can no longer afford the basics. It means children going without good food, decent shoes and a bed of their own in order to make ends meet.

“The survey showed that of the 260,000 children who were living in poverty at the end of last year, 60 percent were in chronic poverty, meaning they had spent years being poor.

“This is a very different picture than the one the Government likes to paint of children “dipping in and out of poverty” somehow unaffected by their family’s low income.

“In reality most children in poverty are spending their entire childhood too poor to live healthy, lives. They’re missing out on all the opportunities to get ahead that other kids get.

“Teamkey is not working for all New Zealand at all, in fact it is leaving ordinary kiwis and their children behind,” Mrs Turei said.

Link to the latest Household Incomes Survey: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/monitoring/household-incomes/

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