Support needed for Auckland families and communities, not just tourism

The Green Party welcomes the additional support for Auckland this summer but said Labour needs to do more to ease the hardship many families in Tāmaki Makaurau are experiencing right now.

“We welcome support for Auckland and Aucklanders who’ve been through a lot these past few months. But those struggling to make ends meet, which has become even harder throughout COVID, deserve equitable support. Liveable incomes and affordable, secure housing is what’s required for everyone to be able to participate in their communities and engage in these attractions,” Chlöe Swarbrick, Green Party MP for Auckland Central said.

“This announcement, unfortunately, does not support or ‘thank’ Aucklanders equitably. It doesn’t deal with the inequities COVID not only exposed, but amplified. These won’t go away unless they’re addressed.

“While some families will enjoy a deserved day out, others will undeservedly be going hungry. Labour has shown they can find the money to give a welcome boost to local tourism and it should do the same for families’ incomes,” Chlöe Swarbrick said.

“Food banks are not a solution to poverty; they are a sticking plaster on a gaping wound of systemic inequality” says Green Party spokesperson for Social Development and Employment Ricardo Menéndez March.

“Families do not want to go to a food bank to feed their kids. They want liveable wages, income security, affordable homes, and a proper economic safety net. Only providing leftover food for people who are already left behind is not good enough,” Ricardo Menéndez March said.

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