MEDIA RELEASE:   Friday 3rd May 2019 NZCCSS welcomes the release of the WEAG report Whakamana Tāngata: Restoring Dignity to Social Security in New Zealand. “It is wonderful to see that this report places the dignity and the mana of people at the centre of its recommendations,” says Ian Hutson, NZCCSS President. “This means providing hope…

MEDIA RELEASE:   Tuesday 16th April 2019 Now is the time to make the decision to increase fairness in our tax system and close the biggest gap caused by the lack of taxes on wealth in this country, says NZCCSS. That is why we are joining with the other supporters of Tax Justice Aotearoa to urge…

Some ideas for first steps towards better taxing income on capital were a feature of the interim report of the Tax Working Group (TWG) released on 19th September. The TWG is asking for feedback over the next few weeks on two options as it prepares it final report, as well as the other interim findings….

MEDIA RELEASE:   Tuesday 18th September 2018 Social Security System Fit for the next 80 years – lift incomes and enable participation Eighty years after the introduction of the first comprehensive social security laws in New Zealand in 1938, our country is once again taking on the challenge of designing a welfare system that will meet…

Kia Pike Ake – Welfare Expert Advisory Group The Kia Pike Ake The Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) was established by the Minister for Social Development Hon Carmel Sepuloni in June 2018 to conduct a review of the social welfare system. The government describes its vision for welfare as: “A welfare system that ensures people…

media release Monday 27th august 2018 “Today is another step towards a more just and fair rental market, especially for the tens of thousands of people struggling with high rents and low incomes,” says New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) Policy Advisor Paul Barber. “We are delighted to see that the Government is…

Excessive pay rises at CEO level are the headline-grabbing examples of the rise in inequality in this country. This excess extends into the government sector, with New Zealand shown to have the second highest paid public service Chief Executives among the 34 wealthy countries in the OECD. This puts New Zealand ahead of much larger…

Mā te huruhuru te manu ka rere Let our rangatahi be the wings that give us flight. The skills and abilities of Māori are central to the future wellbeing of our whole nation: “Rangitahi success represents the most significant opportunity to enhance productivity and ensure collective prosperity for the future”. That is the message from…

Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry The Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction is also looking for public comment. Head of this Inquiry is Ron Paterson and he is wanting the inquiry to get feedback as widely as possible. Paterson says that listening well to a wide range of communities and stakeholders is important for…

NZCCSS Submission on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill NZCCSS has given its support for the overall intent of the Bill which for the first time in this country’s history sets out a process for measuring and planning to reduce child poverty into legislation. Setting measures and targets in legislation to reduce child poverty is a…

Tax Working Group 2018 Paul Barber, NZCCSS Policy Advisor Tax is one of the ways that we as citizens of this country relate to each other. We seek to bring more justice and fairness to our communities, because we are all connected and interdependent. The wellbeing of all of us is bound up with the…

Media release 23rd August 2017 A fairer approach to tax would mean more could be done to help those in need. Bringing in a higher tax rate on the highest incomes could provide the resources needed to lift kiwi’s out of poverty – a way to help those facing hard times get back on their…

Take Action One simple change to reduce poverty and inequality would be to pay a Child Tax Credit to all the nearly 200,000 children living on homes where no-one is in paid work. Watch and share this video where Wellington GP Pauline Horrill talks about what it is like for one of her patients, a…

There was “robust engagement with political leaders” on the issues of housing, refugees and social investment, says Anglican Archbishop Philip Richardson, when church leaders met with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett in May. The church leaders at the meeting together with Archbishop Richardson, were Baptist Leader Daniel Palmer, Roman Catholic Cardinal…

The first debate of the election year will ask political parties what they are doing to ensure all New Zealanders live in warm, dry, affordable homes. Hosted by Community Housing Aotearoa, Te Matapihi, Salvation Army, NZ Council of Christian Social Services, Platform and Prefab NZ the debate will focus on what is required to end…