Hundreds Queue For Help At Mangere "Impact"

“The number of people in need standing outside Mangere Work & Income early this morning was almost beyond belief,” says AAAP spokesperson Sue Bradford.

“Some had been here since 6am to get help from our advocates. There have been many hundreds overall.

“This morning one woman with a medical condition collapsed and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance. Two other people had ‘turns’ and were provided medical assistance on site.

“People are desperate. They come to the impact because they have been turned down for assistance in the past, aren’t getting what they’re entitled to or are simply too frightened to come into the office on their own.

“If most New Zealanders could see what’s happening here, they would be appalled at exactly how badly their government is letting so many of its citizens down.

“It is an indictment that Work & Income does not adequately support beneficiaries and unemployed people to get the assistance they need as a matter of course, so that when a group like ours turns up we are completely overrun.

“As one of the people we helped said this morning said ‘The three days of the impact are the only days of the year when Work & Income treat us fairly.’

“We need more than glib promises and political posturing from the opposition parties in this election.

“Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders are living in poverty. Small measures are no use.

“We call on Labour, the Greens and Internet Mana to promise the repeal of National’s welfare reforms and a return to liveable benefit levels as their first action should they become Government.

“Otherwise all their talk about addressing inequality is simply a gimmick.”

New video from the impact available here:
http://youtu.be/cd4fLNPt_s0

ends

© Scoop Media