Meth crime, prison numbers and food poverty surge

Report not all negative with the economy, job numbers and GDP growing

Ssocial issues oaring methamphetamine crime, a surging prison population and rents strangling stagnant incomes mark this year’s State of the Nation Report.

Despite a rising GDP and more job creation, for many Kiwis life has not improved.

And, after five years of steady demand, the number of families seeking food parcels from the Salvation Army’s 65 food banks jumped 12 per cent — the biggest increase since the recession, report author Alan Johnson said.

Released yesterday, the Salvation Army’s report Kei a Tatou, It Is Us, monitors New Zealand’s social progress in 25 key areas and provides a 10-year analysis of how the country has progressed in bringing social and economic equity to citizens.

It’s not all bad — between 2013 and 2017, the New Zealand economy grew by 14 per cent, the number of jobs grew 15 per cent and per-capita GDP grew 13 per cent in inflation-adjusted terms.

However average weekly incomes, in inflation-adjusted terms, grew by 6 per cent over this time. There were no substantial change in child poverty rates, and youth unemployment remained around 20 per cent.

Johnson said it was clear strong economic growth had not been shared around.

The impact could be seen in a “frightening” rise in the number of families falling into food poverty, he said.

“That’s the true cost of rent rises and slow wage growth on our most vulnerable families,” Johnson said.

“New Zealand cannot separate out its poorest people and pretend they don’t matter. New Zealand is us — all of us who see ourselves as Kiwi. So when some of us miss out, the responsibility for correcting it belongs to us all.”

Director of the Social Policy & Parliamentary Unit, Lt Colonel Ian Hutson urged people to remember the humanity behind the statistics.

“Behind these statistics are people — women, men, children, families and communities — sometimes thriving and in rude health, while on other occasions they are isolated, living with extreme levels of stress, in poverty and highly marginal.”

On the plus side the report showed New Zealand is closing educational achievement gaps, increasing participation in early childhood education, reducing infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and youth suicide.

The report found economic growth had not led to fewer children in poverty, or a reduction in the number of young people without meaningful work. And methamphetamine-related offences had grown by 80 per cent in the past three years. However poor public policy decisions by governments has seen the prison population surge to record levels, despite a consistent drop in crime. Areas requiring more effort included: providing more affordable and social housing, addressing methamphetamine problems, lowering living costs for lowincome people, providing young people with jobs and lowering the number of people going and returning to prison. Child Poverty Action Group founder and economics professor Susan St John said the families package to come into force in July would take some of the pressure off some families — but it wouldn’t get the poorest out of poverty.

She wanted to see the Government extend the $72.50 In-Work Tax Credit to all low-income families, not just those who work 30 hours for a couple and 20 hours for a single.

Auckland Action Against Poverty co-ordinator Ricardo Menendez said the report highlighted that the people who are creating the wealth are not benefiting. He hoped the working tax group would propose a higher tax on the wealthy to reduce inequality and the Government would build more affordable homes.

HRead the full report online at nzherald.co.nz