In 2019 we delivered our 8,000 people strong petition calling on this government to urgently transform our welfare system so everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand can thrive.
It was a whirlwind of a day for our economic fairness campaigner Ruby, starting with a 6.00am interview on Breakfast TV, followed by a press conference and the delivery of our petition to the Prime Minister’s office.
Together, the power of our voices and the media stories we coordinated about our petition meant that Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters was forced to admit this government hasn’t done enough yet for those in our country doing it the hardest.
The press conference combined the release of a report by Child Poverty Action Group and powerful speeches from people who are currently living within the constraints of our broken welfare system.
Here is a list of all the media coverage generated by our press conference and petition:
- Breakfast: Government urged to adopt welfare recommendations
- Radio New Zealand: Petition calls for urgent changes to welfare system
- Radio New Zealand: Government not moving fast enough on welfare changes, says advocates
- Stuff: Can’t budget your way out of poverty
- Stuff: Calls for urgent changes to broken welfare system
- Radio New Zealand: ‘I’m not receiving enough income to cover my basic needs’ — beneficiary
- New Zealand Herald Premium: Hannah McGowan: My disease is not my fault, so why am I being punished?
- The Spinoff: How Ruth Richardson’s Mother of all Budgets is still hurting us today
- Bay of Plenty Times/ The New Zealand Herald Premium: Tauranga solo mum joins calls for urgent welfare reforms
- Stuff: Mothers kept single by Government rules about relationships for beneficiaries
- Stuff: Benefit relationship test ‘is putting our lives on hold’
- Stuff: My experience of the benefit is what I wish everyone had
- Stuff: Government shouldn't sit on $7.5b surplus while families need help
- Radio New Zealand: Experts say Government ignored [WEAG] report
- Radio New Zealand: Child poverty, welfare: government inaction frustrates advocacy groups
- Q&A: Interview with the Children’s Commissioner: the government will fail to meet its child poverty targets without drastic action
- Stuff: Substantial benefit hikes appear off the Government’s agenda
- Breakfast: Has the Government’s Families Package failed to help low-income household cash flow?
- Checkpoint: New playground at Parliament as calls grow for poverty action
- Stuff: A rise in the benefit is long overdue - I know, because I struggle to survive on it
Stuff: Substantial benefit hikes appear off the Government's agenda
Along with the petition, we delivered a beautiful photo book made by Lincoln Heights School children, supporting our call to end poverty and help everyone in Aotearoa have what they need to follow their dreams.
Throughout August and September we then worked with artist Dominic Hoey to train and support 80 ActionStation members to meet with their MPs and advocate for them to fix poverty so all children and their families have what they need to thrive.
In December we worked with Auckland Action Against Poverty, Child Poverty Action Group, Disabled Persons Assembly NZ, Auckland Women’s Centre, Wellington Sexual Abuse Help and The Aunties to publish an open letter calling for an end to the law that can see people’s income support curbed if Work and Income NZ staff deem them to be in a relationship. This generated one last wave of media coverage for this important kaupapa before Christmas:
- RNZ: Groups get together urging govt fix relationships problems in welfare system
- NZ Herald: 'You can't be friends with anybody any more': Flatmates say Winz thought they were lovers and cut their welfare
- RNZ: Benefit relationship rules create lose-lose situation - advocacy groups
- Newshub: Work and Income urged to stop cutting benefits when people find partners
- NZ Herald: Love or welfare: Beneficiaries say penalties for getting into relationships unfair, old-fashioned
A quick note from our team: Around Aotearoa and the world there is a small but committed group of people who donate to ActionStation every month. They are some of the unseen heroes in these stories who nurture our campaigns from the moment they spark into existence to the moment they win.
If you feel moved after reading about what we achieved together, please consider setting up a regular contribution.