Easter is fast approaching as we write this edition of Policy Watch. For Christians Easter is the most important festival of the year when we remember that the Spirit of life and love is stronger than the power of death and hatred. On the other side of despair is renewed hope, and that is what…
Continue Reading → “Times they are a changing“. Bob Dylan Welcome to the latest Policy Watch e-letter highlighting the latest news, research and policy developments relevant to the NZCCSS mission to work for a just and compassionate society in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is the first e-letter of the year and already there is much to report and all the signs…
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Media Release – 30th January 2018 “It is the right thing to do to set clear measures to reduce poverty and make Government accountable for targets to achieve this,” says NZCCSS President Ian Hutson. Setting measures to reduce child poverty is a vital step towards better lives for hundreds of thousands of children in this…
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A Merry Christmas and Happy New year to all Policy Watchers. May you have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of his love at Christmas and always. Best wishes from the NZCCSS Secretariat Welcome to the final Policy Watch e-newsletter for 2017. For this edition we end the year with…
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The Families Package and Reducing Poverty Today is the day to celebrate that children’s needs are being taken seriously On 14th December the Labour-led coalition Government announced more details of the Families Package that were then put through Parliament under urgency and became law on 20th December. The package of measures will begin to come…
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Food rescue organisation Kaivolution is an example of the ways people in communities around the country are responding to food insecurity. When people do not have access to good nutritious food to meet their needs for an active and healthy lives – that is food insecurity. “Food is the easiest thing to control. Food is…
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Access to no-interest loans and a cap on the maximum interest rate on loans are two ways to help people on low incomes to escape the poverty trap of high interest debts. As reported in Kete Kupu June 2017, communities are under siege from predatory lending practices. In the lead-up to the General Election, a…
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Rest homes and hospitals for older people are changing the way they design new buildings to help make them places that people can really call their ‘home’. One of the challenges older people face when moving into rest home or hospital level care is losing the sense of being at home. Now the Selwyn Foundation…
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Lt. Col. Ian Hutson, Director of the Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliament Unit, is the new President of NZCSS. At the AGM held on 23rd November in Wellington past-President Lisa Woolley, who remains on Council as Vice-President, welcomed Ian into the role and, also reflected on her time as President: “over these last few…
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Aged care workers from overseas are among those affected by changing approaches to migration in this country. The aged care sector relies heavily on migrant nurses and healthcare assistants. Around a quarter of the nursing workforce is overseas qualified. A recent survey of some Auckland residential aged care providers found that one-quarter of their healthcare…
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Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill No.2 The impact on children needs to be a central focus for changes to rental law. This was one of the key points made by NZ Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) on 6th December in comments to the Parliament Select Committee considering changes to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). NZCCSS…
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At the November NZCCSS national Council meeting the members’ Denominational Representatives approved a Briefing to Incoming Ministers (BIM) from NZCCSS. The need for this BIM to BE short, well laid out and easy to read was considered extremely important as the new government’s Ministers will have many Briefings to read. Anything too long is unlikely…
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Empowerment and Success Conference 2017 – A Brief Recap Change Happens! The conference took place only day after the confirmation of new Labour-led coalition government. Keynote speakers and presenters made some last minute updates and government speakers found their messages cast in a new political light. More than a hundred people from the community and…
Continue Reading → In response to the release of the latest Child Poverty Monitor, Prime Minister Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern has re-stated her Government’s intention to legislate a set of targets and measures to reduce child poverty. “I am ambitious for all our children. They are relying on the Government to make real change, and I am prepared…
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“..the biggest overhaul of housing policy since the time of the First Labour Government” This is how Housing Minister Phil Twyford described the new Government’s housing policies in his speech in Auckland on 1st December. Having just passed the Healthy Housing Bill into law, he is moving on to the other tasks the new government…
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