Data released today by the Ministry of Health about a programme established to reduce sudden and unexpected deaths of babies in their sleep shows Pasifika and Māori babies are dying at a higher rate, with direct links to poverty.

“We know not having enough to live is literal life and death in the communities we serve, and it’s often why we’re frustrated and angry about how this Labour government believes it has all the time in the world to respond to it. Our babies are dying, and this Labour government is complicit in this heart-break as they continue to deny people and families Liveable Incomes”, says Auckland Action Against Poverty Coordinator Brooke Pao Stanley.

This is absolutely devastating for everyone involved, especially when you’re made to feel as though the well-being of your community isn’t a priority. People deserve Liveable Incomes as the bare minimum. People deserve to have enough left to do what they love after all their essential bills have been paid.

We interact with the most resilient people in New Zealand and they should be entrusted with the resources needed for them to thrive. Every day this government denies Liveable Incomes they allow the rules that shape us and our country to remain racist. They allow the ongoing impacts of colonisation to guide our values and ways of life. This needs to change. We need to honour that everyone here is important and is a valued member of our community.

We are calling on the government to act urgently in introducing Liveable Incomes so that the well-being of the Pasifika and Māori communities in New Zealand is addressed and can be sustainable. We are calling on Pasifika MP’s in this Labour government to support Liveable Incomes for our Pasifika and Māori communities. They continue to remain silent on issues that affect us and I’m wondering why they’re even there in the first place.

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