Point of Order: And if you aren’t getting the message about the need for those cost of living handouts

NZ is grappling with GLOBAL inflation

The Minister of Social Development and Employment told us in our previous Buzz bulletin about a new report which shows Government support has lifted incomes for Beneficiaries by 40 percent over and above inflation since 2018.

But the government doesn’t limit its redistribution of our taxes to dishing out money to beneficiaries. The PM and her Revenue Minister accordingly popped up yesterday to enthuse that from 1 August – today – an estimated 2.1 million New Zealanders will be eligible to receive the first targeted Cost of Living Payment.

The recipients will receive an extra $116 per month eac for three months.

The PM subsequently was mentioned on the Beehive website when she delivered a speech to the eighth China Business Summit.

This summit (according to its website)

“… will provide critical business and political insight on changes, challenges and opportunities in the relationship between our two countries, and what current trends might mean for New Zealand, China and the world.:

The PM’s contribution was to 

* Recall some of the earliest connections between China and New Zealand;

 

* Note the strong growth in the commercial relationship between the two countries over the past 50 years;

 

* Welcome the completion of the final stage of New Zealand’s border fully reopening to the world;

 

* Bewilder many members of her audience – probably most – by saying “manaakitanga streams through our veins”. Here’s hoping it isn’t life-threatening.

Ardern also canvassed some of the challenges for the China-New Zealand relationship, such as climate change, and emphasised the importance of maintaining the international rules, norms and institutions that have benefited our countries are under threat.

“In response to increasing tensions or risks in the region – be they in the Pacific, the South China Sea, or the Taiwan Strait – New Zealand’s position remains consistent – we call for adherence to international rules and norms; for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue rather than threats, force and coercion.

“More broadly, whether looking at the trading regime in the WTO, the law of the sea under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or the universal human rights protected by the United Nations – it is a contested and challenging landscape.”

More news on the border re-opening came from Tourism Minister Stuart Nash and Immigration Minister Wood, who announced that last evening marked the final step in the Government’s reconnecting plan, with visitors from non-visa waiver countries and international students able to apply for a visa to enter New Zealand.

And is if to remind us that Covid isn’t the only disease that threatens us, Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall announced the Government has released its plan to eliminate the transmission of HIV in New Zealand by 2032.

She thus set yet another target for the media to monitor, like zero road deaths.

In their joint press statement on support payments, the PM and her Revenue Minister said an estimated 2.1 million New Zealanders will be eligible to receive the first targeted Cost of Living Payment from today

“… as part of the Government’s plan to help soften the impact of rising global inflationary pressures affecting New Zealanders.”

This raises a big question: does the government have another plan to soften the impact of rising domestic inflationary pressures affecting New Zealanders?

The payments that have been announced will result in eligible New Zealanders receiving an extra $116 per month for three months and are part of a suite of measures being introduced as part of Budget 2022’s Cost of Living Package.

The press statement unabashedly elaborated on the notion that this country’s inflationary problems are beyond the Government’s control and made generous use of the word “global”:

“The Government is providing significant additional cost of living support as the ongoing war in Ukraine, issues with global supply chains, and COVID continues to drive up global inflation making it tough for New Zealanders right now,” Jacinda Ardern said.

“There is no easy fix for the cost of living, as we cannot control global inflation, but we do see it as our job to provide targeted and meaningful support to help take the hard edges off for kiwis feeling the pressure through the worst of it.

“The new Cost of Living Payments will help kiwis through the peak of the global inflation storm, providing an extra $116 per month for August, September and October, helping with household bills, filling up the car, the weekly grocery shop and heating throughout winter.”

The statement said Treasury modelling suggests 1,088,000 households will gain an average of $590, indicating that over half of the households will receive two payments.

Approximately 478,000 households with children and 610,000 households without children are expected to receive the payment.

The statement goes on:

“Even though many commentators are forecasting that inflation will peak in the June quarter, it is likely to stay for some time at levels higher than we have seen in recent years.

“We remain committed to supporting New Zealanders through the global inflation spike in a targeted way to make sure support reaches those who need it most, and because anything too broad could make inflation worse.”

There’s that word again.

Come to think of it, each eligible New Zealander would be a bit better off if the Government paid them $30 a week for the next three months for each mention of “global” in the press statement instead of the new cost of living support payments…

Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton