To keep improving our lives

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Some people seem to have very short memories. Life isn’t perfect for too many but it’s a darned sight better than it ever was under a National and Act government.

Do you remember that the minimum wage was only $15.75 an hour in 2017? It’s now $22.70 an hour. Other wages have gone up as well.

Kids were hungry but at least now they get free lunches at school. There are also thousands fewer kids living in poverty because incomes have increased. Girls get period products so they don’t have to be embarrassed or stay at home. School fees and NCEA fees are free now so our kids can be educated and not bullied for being poor.

People were chucked out of their state houses because the National-Act govt sold them, so now you can pay $600 a week for rent instead of just 30 percent of your income.

Labour has built 13,000 more homes including some in Gizzy, with many more being built as well.

Aotearoa had thousands less covid deaths than most other countries in the OECD, per capita, and Aotearoa has been praised for that. It’s never good to lose your nannies and our Labour Govt stopped covid taking them.

Solo parents who get maintenance used to miss out because it went to the government for the benefit. Now all of that maintenance payment goes to the parent who has the kids.

If you need extra from WINZ, you’re more likely to get it.

Our youth and older people can get free apprenticeships so they can get good jobs now. There’s also heaps of youth training and on-the-job training going on. There are a lot more jobs as well.

Pensions and benefits have gone up more than the cost of living has.

Your koro and the sick get free prescriptions and cheaper doctor visits. Kids are free until they’re 16 for doctors and dentists.

Yes, things are more expensive but you also get more money.

I’m really worried that a lot of this will disappear if National and Act become government because they’ll give too much away to the millionaires who give them big donations, so not a lot will be left for the rest of us.

We need a Labour Govt to keep improving our lives, because that can’t be done in just six years. It’s going to take longer yet.

Mary-Ann de Kort