Press release - 31 March 2010

Inequality affects all Kiwis

Otago University’s Professor of Theology and Public Issues Andrew Bradstock and Glyn Carpenter, New Zealand Christian Network (visionnetwork), say the report NZ Ahead published today by New Zealand Institute report should raise serious concerns among Kiwis.

Bradstock and Carpenter ran a forum for 25 church leaders in February exploring issues related to economics and Christian faith.

Inequality emerged as one of the significant issues in our society, and the pair say this is backed up in today’s report showing New Zealand is ranked 23rd out of the 30 OECD countries.

NZ Ahead said New Zealand had a much more equal distribution of income in the 1980s, which deteriorated rapidly over a decade and has been basically flat recently.

Professor Bradstock says inequality has an impact on all Kiwis, not just the poorest in society. While we are all concerned about poverty and welcome policies aimed at tackling it, inequality matters because recent research shows it has a direct impact on the quality of life for all of us, not just the poorest.

“Research has shown a link between the degree of inequality in a society and that society’s levels of trust and cohesion,” he says.

“It suggests that inequality can be the key to understanding why some societies are more dysfunctional than others - for example, countries with high levels of inequality will almost invariably imprison a larger proportion of their population, and have lower literacy scores, more obesity, more teenage pregnancies, worse mental health, and shorter average lifespans than those with much lower levels of inequality.

“While reducing inequality will not be the panacea for all our ills, research does show that even small reductions in inequality can lead to significant improvements in society, and the Government should be encouraged to consider this seriously.”

NZ Christian Network’s Glyn Carpenter, says of today’s report that the figures must register a note of concern.

“Kiwis are basically fair-minded people, and the high level of inequality runs contrary to what we think is right, and ultimately for what is good for our country,” he said.

New Zealand Christian Network, visionnetwork, is a broad-spectrum network of churches and Christian leaders, with a Board of Reference which includes leaders from all the main denominations. It seeks to present a biblically orthodox position on issues, reflecting the views of the majority of Christians in New Zealand.

ENDS

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