Made Poor in New Zealand?
Are we utilising our nation’s properity responsibly
to eliminate poverty?
“Made Poor in New Zealand?” is the provocative headline being used by the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) in the latest instalment of its information programme about social justice issues in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“On the one hand the systems for monitoring and reporting on levels of poverty in this country have become more and more sophisticated. Yet on the other hand the every day plight of those on the lowest incomes, including beneficiaries, seems to have almost been forgotten,” says Trevor McGlinchey, NZCCSS Executive Officer.
“The point we are making is this: As a prosperous and generous nation we should be putting a higher priority on lifting and protecting the living standards and human rights of those who are the poorest and most vulnerable amongst us.”
“Poverty hurts us all. There is a large body of evidence that points to both the economic and social cost of ignoring issues of poverty. This is borne out time and time again by statistics related to areas such as poor health and poor housing, lower educational achievement and a higher incidence of issues such as indebtedness and other long-term consequences of poverty,” says Trevor McGlinchey.
“NZCCSS believes that the voices of those most affected by poverty in this country need to be listened to more thoroughly. We recognise it is our obligation to seek out those voices, to present what we find and to act as advocates for the poor and vulnerable.”
To reinforce its message NZCCSS has developed a set of factsheets titled “Facts About Poverty”.
These are available on the NZCCSS website at www.justiceandcompassion.org.nz
Comments via Facebook