In the NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan writes:
Sepuloni’s elevation to the top may challenge this. She’s Social Development Minister and may keep this role after the reshuffle (she’s excelled, so far).
The MP for Kelston, Sepuloni has been a steady pair of hands in the social development portfolio and makes history as the first Pasifika deputy prime minister.
For starters emergency housing is in the social development portfolio. The take-over of motels leading to social mayhem (think Rotorua) has been a tragedy for those housed in them and those in their surrounds. The waiting list for public housing has sky-rocketed since Sepuloni has been Minister.
EVERY main benefit has seen increased numbers since 2017. Covid played a part, but the upward trend was established before 2020.
Never before has New Zealand seen demand for both skilled and unskilled labour at current levels yet 11.3 percent (up from 9.7 in 2017) of the working age population is benefit-dependent.
Compounding this, the average length of time people are spending dependent has gone up.
Sepuloni has driven some extraordinary changes that defeat what the last Labour government was trying to achieve. No longer requiring mothers on the benefit to name fathers of their children is a prime example.
The increases to benefit rates and other financial supports have eaten away the incentive to work as the difference between income from work and income from a benefit dwindles. Previous Labour governments resisted linking benefits to wage inflation but Sepuloni did exactly that in 2020.
In fact, this Labour government has implemented many of the Green Party's welfare policies including diminished use of sanctions to enforce work obligations.
Her own ministry's annual reports acknowledge the department is not moving in the right direction in a number of areas.
Worst of all Sepuloni has overseen a rise in children living in unemployed homes. The damage to their outcomes is well researched and documented. But unheeded by this government whose sole focus has been to lift incomes with their fingers firmly in their ears over the unintended consequences of paying people to do nothing ... except have children.
If all of the above is "excelling" I hate to envisage what failing looks like.
Sepuloni has not been a great Minister. That the media are painting her as such demonstrates ignorance and bias. The only thing that has kept the social development portfolio largely away from the headlines is the comparatively worse performance of police, education and health.
Lindsay Mitchell is a welfare commentator who blogs HERE.
5 comments:
Our Left-wing, woke awful MSM are behaving true to form.
Ignore the facts and spin the usual lies.
All they care about is that:-
1/ She's a woman (although even that's going out of fashion). Lesbian would have been better but not as good as transgender.
2/ She's Pacifica. Number 2 in the ethnicity stakes. Nothing trumps part-Maori (there ain't no pure ones left).
She also happens to be shit at her job, unless increasing dependency is one of her KPIs.
Still she will provide a nice colourful contrast to whitey Chris who will look rather washed out and dull in his grey two-piece.
Maybe that's what really got her the job!
i dont suppose we will see any campaign against obesity as prime cause of diabetes. it will be interesting to see how pacifica now get fitted into the new pro maori health system.
Well said Lindsay but, careful, you run the risk of being labelled a racist. Like the misogyny, outing the incompetent has nothing to do with it and (like the appointment), identity politics rule supreme.
What a shocking set of statistics that can be fairly sheeted home to her under her watch. As you indicate, if this is 'excelling' , the bar couldn't surely be set any lower. Then, of course, those exalting her excellence are the same one's praising our retiring PM.
All said and done, it's like those deck chairs on the Titanic...
Ability to perform a task competently counts for nothing. Diversity is far more imortant than success for this cult.
I also see that the msm are still on the teat of the taxpayer. When will Hipkins wean them?
Hipkins won't wean MSM off the govt teat. it's one of the main principles of this socialist regime and indeed all socialist and communist regime's, state controlled media ensures the people only get to hear what the regime want them to and at the same time pedalling their ideology. You'll see it everyday and everywhere in this now poor little but once great country. It's actually very sad to see where we've arrived. Looking at what's coming down the pike as an alternative Gov't I'm not sure it's fixable. None of them seem strong enough. They are all looking pretty woke to me.
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