Vahefonua Opening of Matanikolo Housing Project
PIN News March 2014
Election 2014!
NGO meetings have started in earnest. PIN Co-ordinator has attended a meeting of a large coalition of organizations working on child poverty, as well as the Social Service netowrk, ComVoices. Also an Environment and International development coalition, and the Inequality Summit. Mostly these meetings are discussing in-depth work being done by some NGO’s on election stratiegies . One priority that is emerging is to work on values. People are keen to develop a shared message that gives a unity of momentum as well as the scope for the messages of different sectors. One idea is ‘Reducing Child Poverty is 100% doable’!! or ‘Clean Rivers are 100 % possible’. Although these convey values they are action messages! Work is ongoing. Please send your election priorities to
Vahefonua Opening of Matanikolo Housing Project
Vahefonua has brought this marvelous social housing project to fruition. The houses and community centre will be a source of life for the whole community by enabling low income families to have an affordable home. Congratulations all those who have inspired and led the project.
Twenty three families are now living in these magnificent homes. This completes state One. In her opening address Setaita assured the Minister of Housing that stages two and three are in the wings, and there should be no delay in completing the
A PIN video was made which includes Paula and Moe showing the architectural plans for Matanikolo in an early stage of the project, which is now a reality.
Public Issues Group Palmerston North ,Wesley Parish Hosts Water seminar
Audrey Jarvis led the Palmerston North PIN initiative to host a water seminar in the Palmerston North library on 23rd February.
The great line up of speakers made this a richly opportunity to share community passion for cleaner rivers, especially in the Manawatu. Scientist Brent Clothier focussed on the value of the biophysical system as a whole, with the need to integrate land use with water management. Kate McArthur brought it home to us that mayflies and other invertebrates are nature’s indicators of river health, and the presence of snails and other creatures who likeslime tells us of a degraded river. Piped, or point discharges into rivers continue despite policy restrictions. Dr Margaret Forster gave a tangata whenua view of holistic management, and of how vlaues of obligation to care for water are instilled into whanau who grow up on Iwi lands. Margaret tackled some of the hard questions of Maori interests in water nationally, as a means to achieveappropriate recognition and authority for securing water quality and resources for the future. We were reminded of the terrible protracted grievance of the pollution of Lake Horowhenua.
Inequality Summit, Auckland
On the day of the Inequality Summit in Auckland 28th February, an announcement was made of a mistake in calculations of poverty in New Zealand. The revised Treasury and Statistics NZ figures released this week, put 285,000 New Zealand children living in poverty.
There was a big turnout for the Summit which was organized by ‘Closing the Gap’ coalition to bring together the many organizations working on child poverty to plan for the election this year. A key message of key-note speaker Judy McGregor was to ensure those most negatively affected by inequality are given a voice.
Inequality has come to the headlines this year as one of THE major issues in globally, and in New Zealand with 15% seeing inequality as a major election issues. Health, Education, Child Poverty, Wages and Jobs are also top priorities.
MSD Announcements
Plans for using restraining orders to keep suspected child abusers away from children are on hold!
Social Housing changes
The transfer of Social Housing provision from Housing New Zealandto non-government and community housing providers has been in the pipeline for some time.
The process of managing income-related rent subsidies has, until now, been managed by Housing New Zealand for people in their houses. Responsibility for assessing people’s social housing will now be managed by the Ministry of Social Development (including Work and Income, Senior Services and StudyLink). The change will include introducing tenancy reviews to prioritise social housing for people with the greatest need, for as long as they need it. This priority is understandable, but this means families will have to move when their income improves. One of the social values of housing is staying in a familiar community and stable schooling.
PIN with Community
Living Wage
Wellington focus for the Living Wage is the submission to the Wellington Council to extend the payment of Living Wage to contracted employees and to make it a requirement of Contractors .
Let the Children Live: food in schools
The Mana Party Food in schools bill to be read in parliament March 2014.
TPPA
PIN is involved in preparation for a National day of Action 28th March.
Submissions See
- Living Wage – Wellington city Council Annual Plan
Divestment and Transitions to low carbon economies
PIN is working with Prince Devandan, and Greg Wright to rresource the church to consider the Conference decision to consider transitions to low carbon economies. Betsan and Matheson Russel ofthe Auckland Anglican Diocese are to host an ecumenical seminar on Responsible Investment, Transitions to Low Carbon and Divestment, 27th March in Wellington.
Rod Oram, Jonathan Boston and Iain McInnes of Tear Fund as resource people to support the churches decision to consider responsible investment and low carbon transitions.
Thank you, Betsan