NGOs to Government: Income support rates must go up before Christmas

St Anne's Pantry has joined a super group of unions, children’s organisations, service providers and church groups calling on the government to raise benefit rates before Christmas.

The NGOs have signed an open letter addressed to PM Jacinda Ardern, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni and Minister for Finance Grant Robertson stating the situation is urgent. 

We have responded to this letter as follows:

​We welcome this opportunity to add our support to this letter to our new government leaders. By the way, "Congratulations on decisively winning the recent election." We suspect your Christmas will be a really good one!
Day in day out we field requests from desperate families in Porirua who are hungry and dis-spirited. Our research suggests most requests are entirely genuine. We know this because after our greeting when we drop off a food parcel, we receive an apology, often suggesting the recipient feels ashamed for having to ask. These people deserve better.
We'll do all we can to lovingly support the 600 families on our books in Porirua this Christmas. What will you do Jacinda, Carmel and Grant?
Terry & the SAP Volunteer Team

The open letter lists record breaking unemployment increases, and the surge in demand for emergency hardship grants and youth homelessness support as reasons for the government to increase income support rates.

The open letter finishes by stating “Before the election, the Labour party has consistently said there's more work to be done to lift families out of poverty. You now have the mandate and opportunity to do so. Please increase income support before Christmas.”

Signatories to the open letter include:

• ActionStation
• Auckland Action Against Poverty
• Auckland City Mission
• Auckland Women’s Centre
• Barnardos
• Belong Aotearoa
• Beneficiaries & Unwaged Worker Trust
• Beneficiary Advocacy Services Christchurch
• Birthright NZ
• CCS Disability Action
• Child Poverty Action Group
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Community Networks Aotearoa
• Disabled Person’s Assembly
• Equality Network
• FinCap
• FIRST Union
• Lifewise
• Manaaki Rangatahi
• Manawatū Tenants’ Union
• Māngere East Family Services
• Mental Health Foundation
• Methodist Alliance
• Monte Cecilia
• National Council of Women
• New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services
• New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
• New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations
• Ngā Tāngata Microfinance
• NZ Disability Advisory Trust
• NZ Accessibility Advisory Trust
• NZEI Te Riu Roa
• Pacific Women’s Watch NZ
• Public Issues Network: Methodist Church
• Public Service Association
• Renters United
• Salvation Army
• Save the Children
• Social Justice Group of the Auckland Anglican Diocese
• Social Link
• St Anne’s Pantry
• St Matthews in the City
• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services
• Tick for Kids
• Tokona Te Raki
• United Community Action Network
• Unite
• Urban Neighbours of Hope
• VisionWest
• Waipareira Trust
• We Are Beneficiaries
• Wesley Community Action
• Whānau Āwhina Plunket

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Media enquiries: 
Terry Alve E: stannespantry@gmail.com  M: 027 944 4996
For interview with other organisational spokespeople contact:
Ruby Powell, ruby@actionstation.org.nz, 0221027414
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