Greens’ welfare policy ‘bold’

Metiria Turei’s dad spent his last days in the back of his van before dying of a stroke at just 48.

His daughter says the ‘‘bold’’ welfare policy she will announce at the Green Party conference today is a response to the hardships her own family endured through various political ‘‘experiments’’ such as Rogernomics.

The Greens co-leader says the policy has been a lifetime in the making.

Her father was a labourer who left school at 15.

‘‘We were broke, so my parents had periods where they were living in a car, where they were living in caravans, where they were living in people’s houses,’’ says Turei.

‘‘So we spent a lot of time kind of moving around a bit too – both for work and housing.’’

Labouring work became scarce under the economic reforms of the 80s, but at least the Project Employment Programme – a type of ‘‘work for the dole scheme’’ with extra pay – provided constructive employment.

‘‘So they were unemployed and we were poor, but they still felt like they had this constructive useful thing to do and were treated with some respect.’’

For Turei’s dad, it was just like working a proper job.

The experiences of Turei’s family pushed her into politics and today’s policy announcement is promised to be ‘‘bold’’ and perhaps even controversial.

‘‘It will be families focused, and it will be about treating people with dignity,’’ Turei says.

Punishing people ‘‘for being poor’’ continues today. Benefit sanctions imposed on beneficiaries who failed to meet work obligations was one area the Greens could target.

Those were introduced by the Government under former Social Development Minister Paula Bennett, in a major body of reform in 2012.

Some form of universal child payment could also form part of the Green policy.

Turei says the experience of her father, and others like him, showed that treating the unemployed as if their situation was their own fault only further kept people down.

‘‘From anybody involved in the state that was involved in his life – he was treated like a criminal, like he didn’t matter.’’

Turei’s policy announcement will be the set piece at the party’s two-day conference in Auckland.

Yesterday, co-leader James Shaw announced a policy to establish a $1 billion Green Infrastructure Fund, to finance a green economy and invest in projects that will help towards the goal of making New Zealand carbonneutral by 2050.

Turei says her own policy will set some clear stakes in the ground, while laying out a timeline for further reform down the track.

‘‘It seems to me, totally irresponsible to not do what we can to make people’s lives better.’’