All posts by Peter Malcolm

Submit on new health strategy

Action

New Zealand Health Strategy – consultation phase

The Ministry of Health is consulting on the draft update of the New Zealand Health Strategy until 4 December 2015.

The draft update includes a Future Direction document, and a Roadmap of Actions.

The strategy is based on eight guiding principles, several of which have direct relevance to inequality:

  1. the best health and wellbeing possible for all New Zealanders throughout their lives
  2. an improvement in health status of those currently disadvantaged
  3. collaborative health promotion and disease and injury prevention by all sectors
  4. acknowledging the special relationship between Māori and the Crown under the Treaty of Waitangi
  5. timely and equitable access for all New Zealanders to a comprehensive range of health and disability services, regardless of ability to pay
  6. a high-performing system in which people have confidence
  7. active partnership with people and communities at all levels
  8. thinking beyond narrow definitions of health and collaborating with others to achieve wellbeing.

Have your say

You can submit feedback by:

  • completing an online survey
  • emailing your feedback to [email protected]
  • posting your feedback to:

New Zealand Health Strategy Update Consultation
New Zealand Health Strategy Team
Ministry of Health
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6145.

You may find the submission form helpful, although you’re not required to use it.

Govt to negotiate on equal pay

News

The government has said it will negotiate with unions and others about how to lift pay in female-dominated industries – a move welcomed by the CTU and others who have been campaigning for pay equity.

The move is the government’s response to the Kristine Bartlett case, which ended up with the Employment Court preparing itself to find a male-dominated comparator industry that aged care workers – Bartlett’s industry – should be paid the same as.

The negotiations are designed to create an out of court settlement. However, unions have said they will continue to consider pay claims for female-dominated occupations and will remain prepared in case progress is not made through this process.

FROM THE STREETS TO THE STAGE: AAAP fundraiser gig

Action

Auckland Action Against Poverty move from the streets to the stage hosting a Fundraiser Gig next month. Street Chant and LarzRanda will be joined on-stage by Tourettes, Rackets, Cool Runnings and SoccerPractise.

When: Friday 6 November, doors from 8pm
Where: Kings Arms, 59 France St, Eden Terrace, Auckland
Tickets: $15 waged/$10 unwaged available on the door and from Undertheradar
Facebook info: here

If you can’t make it but would like to support the kaupapa then please consider donating the cost of a ticket(s) so we can have some free places on the door – because, as we are all aware, $10 is a lot for many of us who are unemployed. If you’re interested in this, please email Sarah on [email protected]

Helen Kelly talk in Tauranga

Action

Date: Wednesday, October 21at 7:00pm
Venue: Wesley Centre, 100 Thirteenth Ave, Tauranga

Helen Kelly is the President of the NZ Council of Trade Unions and will be addressing several issues over the evening, including minimum wages, zero-hour contracts and whether increasing wages will be good or bad for NZ society.
Film “The Truth about Temporary Labour” (35mins)
Panel discussion and questions from the floor
Light supper
(Gold coin donation)

This is a great opportunity to hear and meet Helen, a champion of workers rights and a fair wage system for 2 decades, that is relevant locally and nationally.

This event is brought to us by Tauranga Monthly Film Nights in collaboration with Closing the Gap Tauranga

Anglicans express concern over growing income gaps

News

The Auckland Anglican Diocesan Synod met in September and “expressed its concern about the growing income gap in our society and the increasing prevalence of insecure employment which jeopardises a cohesive social framework”. It also passed a motion calling on the government to ban zero-hours contracts that exclude alternate employment options and require people to work any hours offered. The synod also chose to reaffirm its commitment to the Living Wage as a necessary step in reducing inequality and poverty in our society.

CPAG Healthy Homes campaign gets media attention

News

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)’s 2015 campaign, Healthy and Affordable Homes – calling on the government urgently to improve quality of and access to rental accommodation for families – has already received a groundswell of public support and strong media coverage. Alongside the harrowing story of Te Ao Marama Wensor and her son’s serious chronic lung issues as a result of living in a mouldy home, it was the lead story on many news bulletins, including print, radio and TV, and even prompted discussion in parliament.

The key now is to keep the momentum up, giving voice to children in need, and to their families – and the main upcoming event for that is the Hikoi for Homes.

Hikoi for Homes – 21 November

Action

The Hikoi for Homes is an upcoming march from Glen Innes to Britomart, with similar events in other centres around the country, designed to mobilise people from all over New Zealand to advocate that ‘everyone deserves a home’.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)’s 2015 campaign, Healthy and Affordable Homes – calling on the government urgently to improve quality of and access to rental accommodation for families – received a groundswell of public support and strong media coverage. Alongside the harrowing story of Te Ao Marama Wensor and her son’s serious chronic lung issues as a result of living in a mouldy home, it was the lead story on many news bulletins, including print, radio and TV, and even prompted discussion in parliament.

The key now is to keep the momentum up, giving voice to children in need, and to their families.

Hikoi for Homes – an upcoming march from Glen Innes to Britomart, with similar events in other centres around the country – promises to do just that, but we need your help to ensure its success. The series of marches will mobilise people from all over New Zealand to advocate that ‘everyone deserves a home’ – a message that cannot be ignored. As a society, we all have an obligation to ensure that everyone living in New Zealand always has access to adequate and secure housing. CPAG will be arguing that current policies do not meet this simple need or honour our obligations to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Please note that the date for this event has changed from that previously advertised. It will be held on 21 November. More information about the march can be found on CPAG’s website and a Facebook event page will be set up shortly.

 

Support CPAG’s healthy housing campaign

Action

It’s the peak of the flu season – and right now staff in New Zealand’s hospitals and medical clinics are run off their feet looking after thousands of children and their families.  Many of these children wouldn’t be sick if they lived in warm, dry homes.

Urgent action is needed to make sure poor families have decent housing.

Most poor families live in rental accommodation.  With the current housing shortage poor families have been pushed to the back of the queue for decent housing and end up with the worst properties. When they can find a place to live, it’s often cold, damp, mouldy and over-crowded.  They have few protections as tenants.  And the accommodation supplement which helps them pay for rent has not been adjusted for a long time and is not enough in many places.

CPAG is calling on the Government to act urgently to make sure all rental accommodation is healthy and affordable for families.

  1. Introduce and enforce a WOF for housing

  2. Introduce subsidies to get rentals up to a healthy standard.

  3. Urgently review and update Accommodation Supplement.

 

Rental housing quality to improve

News

The Housing Minister, Nick Smith, has announced that the government will introduce improvements to rental housing quality, following pressure from campaigning groups and public outcry about the death of a child in state housing.

Housing experts do not believe the measures go far enough, as is set out extremely well in this Briefing Paper here. However, the fact that the changes are happening at all is positive, and is the result of concerted pressure from civil society.

CPAG housing event Wellington

News

When: 17:30 27/08/2015 to 19:30 27/08/2015

Where: The Backbencher Pub 34 Molesworth St Thorndon, Wellington

This month, CPAG is campaigning to raise public and political awareness about the poor housing conditions endured by children and families living in poverty in New Zealand.

Please join us at a special Wellington CPAG event on 27 August to support this campaign.
Featuring Master Puppeteer, Norbert Hausberg and Wellington musician Nigel Parry
Children thrive in healthy and affordable homes. Every child deserves the best start in a warm, dry, secure home. But poor families are at the back of the queue for housing and end up with the worst accommodation. Right now in New Zealand we have children living in garages, boarding houses, caravans, camping grounds and even cars.
Mouldy, damp housing makes children sick and can cause life-long harm. Shifting around a lot, and living in crowded conditions, stops children learning. Such stressful conditions are no way for children and families to live. Urgent action is needed to make sure poor families have decent housing.
Child Poverty Action Group is calling on the Government to act urgently to make sure all rental accommodation is healthy andaffordable for families.
Introduce and enforce a WOF for housing
Introduce subsidies to get rentals up to a healthy standard.
Urgently review and update the Accommodation Supplement.
Please join us at our special Wellington CPAG event on 27 August, and help us build momentum for urgent action on healthy and affordable housing.