Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: Caritas
Caritas will be looking for strong signals from the government this Budget that it is willing to take the opportunity for transformative change towards a long-term healthy, sustainable future for all in a post-COVID world.
“We are expecting this government to continue prioritising the health and wellbeing of all its people, while addressing the long-term interwoven environmental, economic and social problems we face,” said Caritas Director Julianne Hickey.
The government needs to address inequality, recognising that the brunt of COVID economic impact has fallen unevenly, for example, negatively impacting employment prospects for young, Māori, Pacific, and women workers.
Policies and expenditure must support full, dignified participation of all people in society and ensure that no one is left out and marginalised through unjust policies. Benefit levels, minimum wage settings and employment structures need to ensure sufficient and stable incomes to sustain basic, dignified lives for all.
“We need an economy with the wellbeing of the poor at the centre – not by providing handouts – but by ensuring the economy functions for the benefit of all, that each person can live a dignified life.”
“We welcome the wellbeing framework of recent budgets and support the inclusion of Te Ao Māori perspectives which promote an intergenerational approach” said Julianne Hickey.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development, and incorporates Catholic Volunteers Overseas. We are working for a world free of poverty and injustice through community development, advocacy, education, and emergency relief. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 165 Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies active in over 200 countries and territories.
