Anita Baker, Mayor of Porirua was on Breakfast this morning (Monday, 24 August NZTime) she shared her concerns about child poverty in Porirua.
She based her concerns on a report by the Porirua Council about child poverty.
The report was based on statistics collected before COVID. Anita Baker made a call to our governments to tackle child poverty.
Her statement includes a link to the report.
This is happening across NZ. It is not isolated to Porirua.
Important messages that Anita shares with us that we need to reflect on:
"Child poverty was already a national problem before COVID"
"Successive governments have failed to address child poverty"
"Over five years, it has got worse. Everything is going backwards"
"We tolerated levels of poverty in this country for far too long and it is almost like it has become acceptable. It is not acceptable."
"Our people are proud people. They want to be able to feed their families. Not have them fed at schools. They actually want to be able to live like all the rest of us"
"I think that people, "think" they know. They don't"
Anita Baker identified a number of systemic problems
Anita Baker provided a number of solutions
Anita Baker voiced what many others have voiced
She is working with her people for her people
The problem is that our government agencies believe they know best and believe they are doing their very best to resolve poverty. But their plans have excluded people like Anita Baker and those living in poverty, who knows what their reality is.
When "Others" who "think" they know what to do to help those of "us" who need help without working with us, their plans don't work.
Hence the importance of both those living in poverty and those helping those in living in poverty working together so that we move
"From Otherness to us"
Kevin McLeod
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