Mixed SC reaction to ‘can’t fix everything’ Budget

A South Canterbury social justice advocate was pleased to see more funding for social housing, mental health and cost of living but says she is not convinced it will help those in need in this region.

‘‘Last time it didn’t come to South Canterbury, we didn’t receive the benefit of social housing,’’ Ruth Swale said.

‘‘Will it filter down to us? That’s the big question.’’

Swale said there is a real need in the region for ‘‘permanent, social housing and for emergency, short-term housing, for the people falling between the cracks. There’s nowhere for them to go.’’

Swale said when people have insecure housing, it often means they move around a lot more, disrupting children’s schooling, their social connections and overall wellbeing.

‘‘More social housing means more stable housing.’’

Swale described the cost of living package as a ‘‘nice gesture’’ but was critical of the decision not to offer that to those most in need.

‘‘There isn’t any good reason to exclude beneficiaries. Those who are on the winter energy payment, they’re still struggling extremely hard to survive.’’

She said there were many people stretched to their limits in South Canterbury with no extra money.

‘‘They earn so little, and they have to make really hard decisions to survive.’’

Swale said the issues were greater than any single Budget could solve, and there was a need for a full community response.

‘‘You can’t get a ‘fix everything’ budget. There is a real community responsibility. We shouldn’t just be looking to the Government to survive, if we functioned as a caring community it would go a long way.’’

She said she was pleased to see $190m for legal aid, something she says people are missing out on in South Canterbury.

‘‘Hopefully this will filter down to South Canterbury. People are missing out on legal aid.’’

Timaru Senior Citizens community co-ordinator Chris Thomas was disappointed there did not seem to be much targeted funding for older people.

There was some funding for community organisations to deliver on health outcomes, which Thomas said was ‘‘not unexpected because of the changes to the health structure’’.

‘‘I doubt any of that is going into aged care specifically, though some may go towards helping older people to remain in their own homes for longer.

‘‘I hope it’s going to trickle down to community organisations that are actually on the front line . . . providing those sorts of support services,’’ he said.

‘‘There’s going to continue to be pressure on the aged care sector to provide services for people. There’s a real shortage at the moment and that’s only

going to get worse as more people age.’’

There is a need for communities to get together and develop social recovery plans so people – not just older people, all people – can start re-engaging with their community.

He predicted the next three or four months would be difficult.

‘‘We’ve still got quite a big Covid tail, and we’ll be into winter and the flu season, and there’s also an impact on mental health. These issues become even more apparent in smaller communities where there might not be lots of support services.’’

The $350 payment intended to help offset the rising cost of living will not be available to those receiving the winter energy payment, which Thomas said is almost all superannuitants.

‘‘There may be some little breadcrumbs tucked away in there, but it’s clearly not really targeted at supporting older and vulnerable people.’’

South Canterbury District Health Board chair Ron Luxton said he’s always pleased to see funding directed towards the health sector.

‘‘It’s particularly pleasing to see provisions made to wipe out the deficits of DHBs, which brings them into position to work better going forward.

‘‘I’m also pretty pleased to see two things – an increase in Pharmac funding and in particular a fund for helping to grow the health workforce with a particular focus on primary care.’’

The earlier access people get to health care, the better it is for everybody – patients, hospitals, the health system in general, Luxton said.

Leaders in South Canterbury’s education sector believe their next move is to ‘‘wait and see’’.

South Canterbury Primary School Principals’ Association president and Grantlea Downs School principal Stephen Fennessy said there are some ‘‘big numbers’’ being thrown at education, but he will wait to see what the Budget means ‘‘on the ground’’.

General manager of South Canterbury Kindergarten Association Dave Hawkey said while he was also pleased about an increase in funding, with ‘‘the rising costs it is not enough and doesn’t allow us to keep pace with inflation’’.

South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce chief executive Wendy Smith said there seemed to be little to tackle the cost of living crisis head-on, and for businesses which are also grappling with a real shortage of staff.

‘‘If businesses are unable to keep wages and salaries in pace with inflation at 6.9%, they run the very real risk of losing more staff,’’ Smith said.

‘‘We have already heard there is an increase in young people leaving our shores. Inflationary pressures are especially hard on small to mediumsized businesses who can find it far harder to adjust their margins and meet the market drivers.

‘‘The $350 payment for those earning $70k or below is ‘nice to have’ but is a short-term stop gap.’’