No Go Job Centres On West Coast Make No Sense

From; David Tranter, Spokesman
West Coast Unemployed & Workers' Rights

The listing of 37 "no go" unemployment areas on the West Coast out of a total of 259 New Zealand-wide doesn't make any sense at all.

Assuming, for argument's sake, there is a rational basis for the "no go" list - and that's a big assumption - with about one percent of the population, the Coast should have two or three of these areas especially given recent Winz claims of low unemployment here and an expanding economy. So how on earth do Winz explain 37 of them on the Coast?

Are the boffins who compiled this list simply perpetuating out-of-date assumptions about the region, or do they just stick pins in a map to make up the proportion of numbers according to the land area involved - the 37 only begins to make any sense if some bureaucrat used the Coast's land area to decide the numbers of localities to be put on Winz' list.

Another question requiring answers arises from Winz national commissioner Ray Smith's statement on National Radio this morning that the list was prepared in consultation with local mayors - so was Kevin Brown asked to comment on places within comfortable commuting distance of Greymouth - such as Barrytown or Blackball - being on Winz' list?

Yet again Winz - and by association the government - are playing about with their pet scenarios while still evading the fact that the unemployment figures are always grossly understated by such anomalies as just one hour's work a week taking people off the unemployment statistics. That is the problem that needs attention - not twiddling about with lists that do little but anger the communities blacklisted while diverting attention from the real problems.

ENDS

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