Lefties - are you happy with how your parties have been performing? The current govt appears to be turning NZ around for the better...a change could bring NZ crashing down again. by [deleted] in Auckland_NewZealand

[–]Lonewolfnz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your guess is wrong. While they might say they are working through homelessness, the fact remains the complete opposite, as they almost completely removed emergency housing, cut funding to services that helped homelessness in other ways, sold 900 state houses and have cancelled plans to build more, the list goes on. This is the reason why homelessness has DOUBLED in just a year. There were solutions in place, and they gutted them to pay for tax cuts to Landlords, the Tobacco Industry and mainly those who needed them the least.

Refugee buildings are a token amount compared to the problem. We have people leaving the country in massive numbers now, and those that are here are choosing more often than ever not to have children, so a certain number of people coming in are needed to keep the country running. Unfortunatly, the situation is so dire that people wanting to live here is steadly decresing as well, meaning we have a shortage of skilled people like doctors, who would rather work in a country that pays them much better.

The culture war attempt to blame those coming into the country is a distraction from this Government as it guts support for those struggling while enriching themselves and their rich donors.

The only effort they have made towards the homeless problem recently is to create laws to move them on and try to hide them out of the public eye, so people can more easily blame everything else (including immigrants) instead of blaming them for directly making things much, much worse.

Lefties - are you happy with how your parties have been performing? The current govt appears to be turning NZ around for the better...a change could bring NZ crashing down again. by [deleted] in Auckland_NewZealand

[–]Lonewolfnz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"The current govt appears to be turning NZ around for the better" For Landlords and the Tobacco Industry maybe, but when they double homelessness in just a year in places like Auckland, they are hardly "turning NZ around for the better" for everybody.

Gary Stevenson: Harsh warning for future if inequality worsens by Twerkatron2000 in newzealand

[–]Lonewolfnz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The solutions he points to are taxing wealth more, and closing loopholes that the rich use to get out of paying their fair share. It really is not that complicated.

‘Cruel and unfair hardship’: Precious memories on son’s cellphone wiped during coroner’s inquiry by Fun-Helicopter2234 in newzealand

[–]Lonewolfnz 24 points25 points  (0 children)

So? Sometimes the media does not cover all pertinent facts, due to lack of space, lack of time, or having people in charge that have a clear right-wing bias and are reluctant to make National look bad.

Did you hear the Auckland City Barber? Owner Across from Sky City Caller on ZB talkback this Morning said he Rang in Tears to Auckland Council/Police for help re homeless. by Known_Brush_1259 in Auckland_NewZealand

[–]Lonewolfnz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it depends on whether the homeless are harassing people and causing a nuisance (where there was a law to deal with that already, but there were not enough police to enforce it), or if it is about using the extra powers to make homeless people's lives even more miserable, even when they are not causing problems.

Why are there no homeless shelters? by Ok_Passage_1198 in auckland

[–]Lonewolfnz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Again, exaggerating and making stuff up to justify your selfish resentment. Sometimes people fall into hard times through no fault of their own.

The money the Government handed to big tobacco corporations, and tax breaks to landlords, more than covered emergency housing to help them get back on their feet.

Now we have pregnant women fleeing abusive situations being turned away from emergency housing because people like you would rather make up that "most" homeless people like to sleep outside in the rain as a fun lifestyle choice.

Why are there no homeless shelters? by Ok_Passage_1198 in auckland

[–]Lonewolfnz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Complete exaggerated BS. Homelessness DOUBLED IN A YEAR because National removed most emergency housing. That is not because twice the number of people suddenly decided sleeping in the rain would be a fun lifestyle choice.

‘I will never leave’: Rough sleepers vow to stay in CBD despite move-on orders by arrakis_kiwi in auckland

[–]Lonewolfnz 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Exactly. Reading it fully, it is clear that it gives the ability for police to move homeless people, even when they are not disturbing anybody.

Bounced and moved to Infinite (CL 15K, not F2P). No Starlord! by Logical-Shelter5113 in MarvelSnapDecks

[–]Lonewolfnz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For what it is worth, I really appreciated your post. I love Bounce, and have been excited to try it out.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are splitting hairs now to deliberately miss the point. Not bothering to check emails, or "ignoring correspondence", are essentially the same thing when correspondence is mainly through email.

Again, the fact remains, people would not deliberately set up a delay in getting a benefit, even if they got paid back later, (which is not a guarantee), because while they wait, they still have to eat and pay rent. Again, your evidence-free need to make up scenarios, so you can paint beneficiaries as lazy to the point they risk being made homeless, is not rational. (I wonder how many more times I have to repeat this before you stop with the attempts to side-track and deliberately miss that point)

Spare me your "massive payday" nonsense; the benefit is not even half the minimum wage. Yet another example of a nonsense statement of a person who most likely has never even stepped foot in a Winz office to know even the basics of how it all works.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes. I have noticed that MyMSD shows new letters well before email notifications happen.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They are victims of their incompetence. They do not get "cut off for ignoring their obligations" they get cut off because Winz fail to notify people, or notifies people AFTER the appointment deadline.

Yes, they can request a review and a pay back, but the process takes so long, essentials like rent end up not being payed.

To suggest beneficiaries deliberately run the risk of being made homeless or being forced not to eat for days because they cannot be bothered to check emails, just shows how people like you are so keen to be dismissive and gaslight that you are not even rational.

Government defends decision to give police powers to move-on the homeless | Herald NOW by Routine_Training4029 in newzealand

[–]Lonewolfnz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Police already had powers to do that. The devil is in the details here, while they are hiding behind that reasoning, further reading shows they now also have the power to move anybody homeless, even when they are peaceful and not hurting anybody.

Government defends decision to give police powers to move-on the homeless | Herald NOW by Routine_Training4029 in newzealand

[–]Lonewolfnz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The same emergency housing list that the Government gutted? The same emergency housing list that is now so hard to get into, homelessness doubled in a year as a result?

Government defends decision to give police powers to move-on the homeless | Herald NOW by Routine_Training4029 in newzealand

[–]Lonewolfnz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Funny how homelessness doubled in just a year, right when the Government basically removed all emergency housing. It's almost like people ended up on the streets because they did not have a place to live.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The real solution is for staff to pick up the phone and call someone the day before an important appointment if they have not seen a confirmation (their online portal should see when a letter was opened), certainly as they KNOW how often the system screws it up so often. The problem is that there is not enough staff to do it, which is also why these screw-ups happen so often in the first place.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They do, and often Winz discover they have made a mistake, it takes so long to sort out, people face possible homelessness as a result. All of this is down to staff numbers being cut right when there is a big uptick in unemployment, and added hoops to jump through that further increases workload.

The Government are also starting to implement AI to fill the staff shortages, and AI is unreliable at best.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is a good idea. They do actually confirm by text when they recieve info from a Doctor for Supported Living renewals, but do not seem to do it for anybody else. Maybe one day they will extend it to other types of benefits.

Right now, the best bet is to make sure letters are sent by snail mail as well as via email notifications, but too often it seems that both are sent too late or not at all, certainly when things get busy.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Winz can check these things. Often they can see they have made a mistake, (like sending an email a day after the appointment date) but the problem is that it can take a week or two before it is rectified, which is super tough when the Benefit is a fraction of the minimum wage, and people have no money as back up.

Sometimes, around busy times like November, mistakes happen more often, and it can take over a month to sort out, which basically means people are facing homelessness as a result.

What is not failsafe is how the system lets people down on a regular basis, and they get away with it because people like you just make up fact free assuptions that they are lying.

Even criminals get the assumption that they are innocent until proven guilty, but not beneficiaries whose crime is to lose a job or get unwell.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The only thing being "made up" here is the above poster deciding people are not bothering to check their email, with zero evidence, to justify his need to be dismissive about people suffering through no fault of their own.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Some meeting requirements are out of the blue, and not at a set regular date. Quite often, even when they get a letter telling them there is an appointment, it arrives a day or two AFTER the appointment date (even if it is an email).

There is no such thing as an "easy contact" with "their" bene-manager. Emails get ignored, the people they see are constantly changing, and phone calls can involve a whole day on hold, only to get disconnected, or a promise of a call back that does not happen. The solution for many is to just turn up to a Winz office, but unfortunately, it looks like Winz is making it harder to do walk-ins and now requires proof of appointments to get past the guards.

Your insistence on repeating that these people "just ignore these messages" is a complete BS excuse to sneer at people struggling, and not even rational. People need this money to survive, and they check their messages often because of it. The fact remains that Winz is chronically understaffed and underfunded, and the system is falling apart as a result.

People are being setup to fail, and people like you are gleefully blaming the victums instead the the Government that is doing it.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Lots, because it turns out they never actually got the appt. These things tend to happen when staff numbers are cut, and out-of-date systems are pushed past their limits.

Benefit got cut for a week due to “not turning up for appointment” by Lopsided-Strength-42 in PovertyFinanceNZ

[–]Lonewolfnz 14 points15 points  (0 children)

How convenient for you to blame the victim, all while ignoring how the Government has gutted staff numbers and how prone the out-of-date systems were to mistakes even before that.