'Easier to live in the islands' - Pasifika families 'in survival mode' amid joblessness
Photo:
Supplied/ Unsplash - Josh Olalde
Figures released last
week show Aotearoa's unemployment rate has remained at 5.1 percent.
However, Pasifika
unemployment has risen
to 10.8 percent this quarter, more than double that of the national rate.
Advocates say hard times for the community are only getting harder.
A Pasifika organiser for FIRST Union in Auckland Antonia Lili'i describes the mood amongst her Pasifika members as hopeless.
"We are totally in survival mode...we have been in survival mode since Covid."
Auckland is home to more than 275,000 Pacific Island people as of 2023.
However, according to the latest unemployment figures, 12.1 percent of Pasifika in Auckland cannot find work - the highest level in ten years.
Nationwide, one in ten Pasifika are unemployed - its highest level since 2016.
Antonia said that, if there is no change, many of her members have no choice but to cross the ditch or move to the islands.
"It is easier to live in the islands at the moment, you do not have a mortgage, or rent to pay, and you can plant food to grow back home."
"Young pasifika women or men who have done quite well, a majority of them are moving to Australia."
Auckland councillor Lotu Fuli said that she does not see any light at the end of the tunnel.
"Hard economic times hit Pasifika families disproportionately harder than others," Fuli said.
"The recent cuts in public service jobs, funding for important programs and for community initiatives has exacerbated these issues."
"Every day now, I am seeing families who are not only struggling to make ends meet and feed their families. But now there are also very few services where they can turn to for help due to the ongoing funding cuts."
The opposition agreed that there was not enough being done to address Pasifika unemployment.
Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni pointed to fewer building and construction jobs, as well as hiring freezes in the health sector, as particularly painful.
"Pacific people are generally working in more precarious work, so when there are job losses, sadly it is Pacific who suffer the most."
Meanwhile, the government have expressed relief that the headline figure for unemployment saw little change from last quarter.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said in a press statement that the result was encouraging.
"I know people are still struggling in this economy, that is why on May 22 the Government will deliver a Budget that continues the work to get the books back in order, while building on the foundations we've laid to foster economic growth. It will be a responsible Budget that secures New Zealand's future."
Economist Craig Renney said that the government has ignored several underlying weaknesses in the labour market.
"About half of all workers saw a pay rise less than inflation, and we saw about three million fewer hours being worked this year."
"The headline rate remained the same, but that disguised numbers inside which are really quite concerning, like Maori and Pasifika unemployment."
Renney said that the higher unemployment rates in those communities should trigger alarm bells for the government.
"Right now, there is no plan to assist those workers to get into work, or get new skills and training."
National did not respond to a request for comment, while ACT declined to comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
12 minutes ago
- RNZ News
'We need to be involved': Pasifika candidates running in Auckland local election
There is a total of 12 mayoral candidates, 80 council ward candidates, 386 local board canddiates and 80 licensing trust candidates. Photo: New Zealand Electoral Commission There are former Pacific candidates and new faces putting their names forward for this year's Auckland local government election in Aotearoa. The final confirmed list of candidates is out. In the Manukau ward, Councillor Lotu Fuli, one of three current Auckland councillors of Pacific descent, has also served on the local board and is seeking re-election. "Currently, we only have three Pasifika councillors at the governing body table, the mayor and 20 councillors. Out of 21, only myself, Councillor Bartley and Councillor Filipaina, who's half Samoan, sit around that very important decision-making table," Fuli said. She said she feels the weight of responsibility of her role. "I know that I'm here in this space to speak up and advocate for them, because with all due respect to the mayor and to our other councillors from other areas, they don't know what it's like for a Pasifika person growing up in Aotearoa New Zealand - in Manukau, in Otara, in Papatoe, in Magele [Māngere], or Otahuhu or Maungakiekie, Glen Innes. They don't know because they haven't lived that experience. "They haven't lived that struggle, and so they can't really, truly relate to it." Twelve individuals have put their names forward for the mayoralty, including current mayor Wayne Brown. Ted Johnston is the only mayoral candidate with Pasifika links. Each Auckland ward has a set number of council seats. For example, in Manukau, there are only two seats, currently held by incumbents Alf Filipaina and Lotu Fuli. In the Manurewa-Papakura ward, there are two seats, and in Maungakiekie-Tāmaki there is one, held by Josephine Bartley. For local board nominations, the number of seats varies. Those elected make decisions about things like community funding, sports events, water quality, and even dog walking regulations. Vi Hausia, one of the youngest Pacific candidates this year, is running for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board (Papatoetoe subdivision. He said he was born and raised in south Auckland. "Growing up I've always had the sense of, 'oh, it is what it is. It's always been like that'. And then you get a bit older and you realise that actually things isn't 'is what it is'. It's been as a result of people who make decisions in important forums, like local board." Safety and strengthening youth engagement are issues for him. "Ensuring that when kids come out of high school there's a strong pathway for them to get into work or into training, whether that's a vocational training like builder apprenticeship or university, because that's the link to ensure that our people, particularly our Pacific people, are engaged within our society, and are able to to find who they are and to be able to contribute back to society." He said Māori and Pasifika youth are overrepresented in the statistics of high school leavers who come out of high school and there's quite a high number of people who go straight onto welfare. "So we've got a responsibility on the local board as well as central government, to be able to understand what the issues are, and to ensure that young people are having the opportunity to be able to be the best versions of themselves." Another current Auckland Councillor Josephine Bartley said it iss vital that Pasifika are at the table. "It's important because if you look at the make-up of the city, we have a large percentage of Pasifika, and we need to be active. We need to be involved in the decision-making that affects us, so at a local board level and at a city council, at a governing body level." She said she is hopeful voter registrations will go up. "It's always difficult for people to prioritise voting because they have a lot on their plate. "But hopefully people can see the relevance of local government to their daily lives and make sure they're enrolled to vote and then actually vote." Reflecting on Pacific representation in mayoral races, Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board chairperson Apulu Reece said the 2022 race, where Fa'anana Efeso Collins came second to now-mayor Wayne Brown, could have had a different outcome. Apulu said it is time to stop blaming communities for low turnout and instead question the structure. "There's probably some value or truth in the fact that we needed to get more people out voting for Efeso and Māori and Pacific people often too busy to worry about the voting paper that they've left on the fridge. "But I want to twist that and and ask: why didn't the white people vote for Efeso? Why is it always put on us Pacific people and say 'oh, it's your fault?' when, actually, he was one of the best candidates out there. "In fact, one of the candidates, the palagi [Pākeha] lady, dropped out so that her supporters could vote for Wayne Brown. "So no one talks about the tactics that the palagis (Pākeha) did to not get Efeso in. "That's his legacy is us actually looking at the processes, looking at how voting works and and actually dissecting it, and not always blaming the brown people, but saying, 'hey, this system was built by Pākeha for Pākeha." There is a total of 12 mayoral candidates, 80 council ward candidates, 386 local board canddiates and 80 licensing trust candidates. Voting papers will be posted in early September.
RNZ News
42 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Hotel industry supports calls for bed levy
The hotel industry is broadly in favour of the bed levy Auckland mayor Wayne Brown wants, but is keen to see it extend beyond the supercity. Sudima Hotels and Hind Management chief operating officer Les Morgan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
42 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Earnscleugh Castle lovingly restored to former glory near Clyde
- With careful planning and research, Marco Creemers and Ryan Sanders have overseen the restoration of the 1920s mansion. Photo: RNZ/Katie Todd A palatial 1920s building near Clyde is on the brink of a lavish new chapter, painstakingly restored from years of mould, rodents and neglect. When husbands Marco Creemers and Ryan Sanders put the finishing touches on their house - affectionately known as Earnscleugh Castle - later this year, it will boast an airy ballroom, a pool and sauna, a seven-foot entranceway chandelier, a library with a sliding ladder and even a special room for their beloved French bulldogs with heated floors. The pair said they were not only creating their dream home, but capturing its storied past for locals and visitors to enjoy. "We want people to feel a sense of glamour, a sense of realness... and to take an interest in the stories of the property and its place in the fabric of Central Otago," Sanders said. Sanders, from Christchurch, and Creemers, from Auckland, had hunted for the right property for eight years, when they came across the 21-bedroom brick mansion in 2022. Creemers conceded it was "really bad student flat material", full of mould and rodents, surrounded by waist-high lawns and not watertight, with unsafe electrics and broken plumbing. "But I think we just fell in love with it," he said. "We knew we wanted a bit of land and something we could add value to. As soon as we drove up the driveway, before we even got inside, we kind of said to each other, 'Oh my God, we're going to buy this, aren't we?'" Creemers' extensive commercial property background and Sanders' business acumen, as the owner of Haka House Hostels, made for a workable pairing. Earnscleugh Castle was built in the 1920s by Stephen Spain on land once owned by Sir William Fraser - now it's getting a new lease of life a luxury dream home. Photo: RNZ/Katie Todd "I need to be honest - my practical skills, globally, would sit in the bottom 10 percent," Sanders said. "Marco's very handy, thank God. "He's my hero." Foremost, the two knew they wanted to make Earnscleugh Castle a home, but also renovate it, so it could be run as a boutique hotel. That meant adding ensuites to each bedroom and creating what Sanders called "an engine room, of sorts", where guest linen could be stored and meals prepared for visitors. The pair also knocked down walls in the west wing, where the cook's sleeping quarters and breakfast room were, to open up a large kitchen and modern living area, reducing the total to 16 rooms. The building was uniquely designed, with access between rooms entirely via balcony, rather than internal corridors, due to the 1920s flu pandemic. While the external corridors were later closed in, due to the frosty Central Otago winters, Creemers said the couple decided to open them back up using a recessed glass wall. He said their vision fell neatly into place, after they commissioned an architect and an interior designer to each create a new floorplan. "We also did our own one together and the three of them were pretty similar, so that was kind of a nice thing. When they all came together... there was not much difference in them." The pair recruited local tradespeople to repair the roofs, build three ponds for water security and, most time-consumingly of all, carry out 18 months of extensive earthquake repair work. "Basically, we opened the house right out," Creemers said. "We took all the ceilings down, and architraves and skirtings off, and then tied all the joists and rafters to the brick walls with bolts and ChemSets. "Then we had to concrete-cut through the brick walls and put carbon-fibre strips, epoxy those in. That all ties into the exterior plastering, which will have a carbon fibre mesh in it to earthquake-strengthen it." The couple have carefully restored the damaged ornate plaster ceilings, removing them, making casts, recreating them in panels and then gluing them back on, in what Creemers described as "all a big trick". Throughout the renovation, Sanders and Creemers lived in a coach-house located right behind the castle, which they said would ultimately become a 365-day-a-year bed and breakfast. Earnscleugh Castle was built in the 1920s by Stephen Spain on land once owned by Sir William Fraser, who first released rabbits into Central Otago. The lower floor of the eastern wing is being transformed into a ballroom, while the airy bedroom above boasts a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite with a freestanding bath. Photo: RNZ/Katie Todd Fraser went bust, but Spain made his fortune exporting the rabbits to Europe, Sanders said. "It's amazing how some people see a problem and another see an opportunity. Spain definitely had that entrepreneurial flair." Throughout the renovation, he and Creemers connected with descendants of past owners, tracing the castle's century-long journey. They learnt that a bricked-up window on the west wing was the result of two feuding brothers who lived there - a feature they decided to retain. "It's been a journey right up until now," he said. "The amount of people reaching out through social media, the access to photos that we've had from the families that have lived here that they've sent across to us, the stories that I've shared, which are just verbal history... it hasn't been written down. "It's been absolutely amazing how engaged the three main families have been that have lived here previously and everything that we've found." The project stalled in 2023, when the Central Otago District Council declined a resource consent for external plastering. Sanders said the pair had worked closely with Heritage New Zealand to itemise and document their changes, and retain the property's original character. "We were pretty gobsmacked," he said. Penny Clark has swapped council meetings for a caravan on the Earnscleugh Castle lawn, restoring the grounds and helping with pest control. Photo: RNZ/Katie Todd While the couple eventually got the go-ahead, Sanders said it cost a year off the tools and "a lot of money spent on consultants". Due to that and other changes, he conceded the project was now "eye-wateringly" over budget. However, help came from an unexpected quarter - former Queenstown Lakes District councillor Penny Clark, who was nearing the end of her sixth year on the council, when she read about the Earnscleugh Castle project in the newspaper. "I knew that council voting was going to come up and I thought I can't manage another three years of this bureaucracy," she said. "I saw it from the front page of the ODT one day and thought, 'God, that's got my name written on it', so I rang and bingo." She lived in a caravan on site, and mostly made sure the sprawling 30 acres of lawns and gardens looked respectable. "I managed to coax the chap next door into bringing his tractor over and cutting the lawn, and that's how Penny's grass started," she said. Clark also became the resident pest controller. "Council put you on wildlife trusts and youth trusts and all these trusts, and you suddenly learn all these other tasks, so I had another string to my bow," she said. "I could kill possums. "The first 12 possums I killed one night, I lined them all up and took a photograph, and sent it to Marco up in Auckland. He came back saying, 'Oh, the poor wee things', and I thought, 'Oh, we're going have to knock this bloody city life out of him'." Clark said she looked forward to the day she could put her feet up with a gin and tonic, and start reading all the history material about the property that Sanders had compiled. The renovation was "on the home straight", she said. Sanders and Creemers expected to finish the internal work by October, in time to host a family Christmas and Creemers' 60th birthday - the first celebrations in the reborn castle. They have documented the transformation on the Earnscleugh Castle Instagram and Facebook pages, but the interior remains under wraps, both online and to media, until it debuts on Grand Designs . Even before the renovation is complete, Sanders and Creemers said their dream had been realised. "We got 30 acres of land bordered by a beautiful river," Sanders said. "We've got some Varlais sheep, which we've just started to breed. "We've got this mess of big trees all around the house - it's just beautiful. Now we just want a relaxing, beautiful - bit bigger than we imagined - house space," Creemers said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
