An inspirational success story

Putting the choice back in the hands of the young. It’s such a sunny, optimistic point of view. I so want it to be true.

And if you think abused kids, broke kids, can’t be masters of their destinies, you’re so wrong.

For proof I call Gustavia Lui, the founder and chief executive of Staavias, a Kiwi company designing and selling glamorous shoes in large sizes online. Gustavia came from a violent home, was passed around relatives for years, attempted suicide at 11, was pregnant at 16.

A little ironically, it was finding her first fulltime job at Work and Income at 17 that changed things for Gustavia. She worked there for the better part of a decade while studying at night and left last year to launch the Staavias website. She has been married for more than 10 years and has three lovely boys. Hers is a truly inspirational success story.

Would a universal basic income have made her life easier? She reckons she wouldn’t have worked as hard as she did.

That decade at Work and Income means Gustavia has seen the ‘‘witch hunt’’ system up close, and she remains convinced the obligations are there for a reason.

‘‘A lot of youth I see around me, I think giving them $200 a week for nothing is a nightmare really ... you’re almost giving them permission to lounge around at mum and dad’s.’’

If you or someone close to you needs help, call Lifeline on 0800 543 354, or the Depression Helpline on 0800 111 757.