E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services are deeply concerned with recent policy announcements in regard to youth unemployment and benefits over the weekend.

As an organisation that works with marginalised rangatahi every day, we are always concerned when we see punitive approaches to welfare. The recent announced sanctions announced by National shows an absolute disconnect that policy makers often have from the lived realities of Rangatahi who access social welfare.

“The National Party policy announced is bringing back classic rhetoric, that if you look like you can work then you must work, with productivity being tied to human worth. E Tipu e Rea works daily on the ground with rangatahi and it saddens us that such policy announcements again highlight that decision makers continue to miss the mark when it comes to actually understanding why our young people are on benefits and what support they may need to have positive outcomes for themselves and their whānau. Cutting them off from financial support does nothing to truly address mental wellbeing and wider systemic issues they face” says Policy and Advocacy Lead Emmaline Pickering-Martin.

Aside from the clear disconnect, such policies also run the risk of pushing rangatahi into untenable situations whereby they have to make long term decisions based on unfair and ‘one size fits all’ pressures. E Tipu e Rea hopes that all decision makers will start thinking about what they can do differently to ensure policies reflect the realities of rangatahi and the solutions they know will work for them.

The Ministry of Youth Development in their ‘Impact of COVID-19 on rangatahi’ report states that evidence shows young people are more at risk of adverse psychological, social, health, economic and educational effects through the Covid-19 pandemic. Rangatahi Māori, Pacific young people and disabled young people are less likely to be in education, employment or training, when compared with the general youth population. Some rangatahi will also be dealing with ongoing family or whānau insecurity, which may mean they have to make choices they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Recent policy announcements regarding youth unemployment takes none of these very real factors into consideration and we hope all potential decision makers for Aotearoa will reflect, review and do better for our future generations. Communities will benefit greatly from policies that do not targeting our most marginalised populations within its sanctions as per Ministry of Youth Development’s study, rangatahi Māori, Pacific and Disabled youth are all more likely to be the recipients of Job Seeker Support.

E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services are vehemently opposed to any type of ‘one size’ measure to sanction those on benefits. We are imploring all decision makers to stop and listen to the voices of rangatahi and work with them to better their futures rather than punish them without considering the context of their lived experiences.

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