Duncan Garner: How can we experience our own country at this price?
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Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Kiwis Facing Hardship Forced To Choose Between Feeding Themselves Or Their Pets, Says Petstock Foundation
The Petstock Foundation has partnered with the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) to help provide relief to struggling families amid the cost-of-living crisis. Throughout August, the Petstock Foundation's commitment is to raise $100,000 across Australia and New Zealand which will supply pet food to families in need. Nearly two-thirds of New Zealand households own a pet, with the number significantly higher for households with children at up to 71%. A recent study also found that people experiencing poverty go without food to provide pets in their care – something that NZFN's recipient food hubs also see on the front lines of food insecurity. Naomi Mancktelow, Petstock Foundation said, 'The Big Hearts Project aims to empower individuals and families struggling to feed their pets. We know that people who experience hardship also tend to experience social isolation. We also know that having a pet companion can alleviate this. 'The Foundation is committed to leading change, strengthening the bond between pets and people, and creating lasting impact in local communities,' says Naomi. According to NZFN, from July to December 2024, their partner food hubs reported that the top reasons Kiwis sought support were: 93% stated rising cost of living 59% stated unemployment 67% stated low household income 51% stated unexpected bills or expenses CEO of the NZ Food Network, Gavin Findlay said, 'We're extremely grateful for the Petstock Foundation's support. As more families struggle to put food on the table, we welcome this opportunity to alleviate this burden on both the pets and their owners. We know that families on stretched budgets often face the hard choice of feeding themselves or feeding their pets. With the Petstock Foundation's support we can help take away that impossible decision, so no family member or pet goes hungry.' Naomi said, 'This August, you can donate $2 to the Petstock Foundation to provide a meal to a pet in need. Either in store or online, this small donation will make a big difference. You will not just fill a bowl; you are supporting the emotional wellbeing for families under pressure, keeping pets in loving homes where they belong and empowering a better future for pets and people. Let's stand together for the pets that inspire us, and for the whānau who love them.' How Kiwis can support: Donate just $2 in-store or online: Pet lovers can donate at the Petstock counter in-store or online 100% of funds donated to the Foundation supports its charitable partners and projects like Big Hearts with all operating costs covered by the business. ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP The Petstock Foundation and New Zealand Food Network have partnered together to distribute essential pet food to food insecure households across New Zealand. This partnership ensures that families struggling to put food on the table won't also have to surrender or neglect their pets due to financial constraints. Through the support of generous Petstock customers, this campaign aims to deliver real, practical help to Kiwi households doing it tough, and ensuring no bowl or belly goes empty.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Needy pet owners get helping hand
By Robin Martin of RNZ Many people in need are going without food to feed their pets, according to the manager of a Taranaki foodbank. Nearly two-thirds of New Zealand households own a pet and, for households with children, that number is 71%. New Plymouth Community Foodbank manager Sharon Wills has seen evidence of people putting their pets' needs before themselves all the time. "It's every day someone will say, 'Look, I've got a cat or I've got at dog, and I need to make sure I feed them,' and people are really concerned. People love their animals." Wills had no qualms about helping people struggling to feed pets. "People say we shouldn't be helping people who've got animals and they need to be getting rid of them, but you know, if you've had your cat or your dog for 10 years, eight years, they're part of your family." Wills said the foodbank did not buy or collect pet food specifically, but if it had some, it gave it out to people who asked for it. The alternative was people would tend to their animals and not themselves. Wills said vet bills were another worry that could also tip people over the edge, forcing them to seek help from foodbanks. A recent qualitative study - based on interviews with 23 women and five men and published in the Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Association journal, found that people experiencing poverty went without food to provide for pets in their care. Study author and doctoral student Lesley Pitt said pets provided the people in the study with a sense of security and companionship. "The latter part was particularly important, as it reduced social isolation," she wrote. "When participants had companion animals, they prioritised food for their animals over food for themselves and went without other material goods to care for the needs of their companion animals." Pitt said the implication of her study for social workers was that they needed to be conscious of the role pets played in the lives of people living in poverty. During August, the Petstock Foundation will partner with the New Zealand Food Network to raise $100,000 across New Zealand and Australia to help struggling households feed their pets. According to the Food Network, from July to December 2024, its partner food hubs reported that the top reasons Kiwis sought support were: 93% rising cost of living 59% unemployment 67% low household income 51% unexpected bills or expenses. NZ Food Network chief executive Gavin Findlay said people going without to provide for pets was something its members saw on the front-lines of food insecurity all the time. He was grateful for the Petstock Foundation initiative. "As more families struggle to put food on the table, we welcome this opportunity to alleviate this burden on both the pets and their owners. "We know that families on stretched budgets often face the hard choice of feeding themselves or feeding their pets. With the Petstock Foundation's support, we can help take away that impossible decision, so no family member or pet goes hungry." Petstock Foundation's Naomi Mancktelow said the Big Hearts Project aimed to empower individuals and families struggling to feed their pets. "We know that people who experience hardship also tend to experience social isolation," she said. "We also know that having a pet companion can alleviate this." Mancktelow invited people to donate $2 to the Petstock Foundation, via its website. "This small donation will make a big difference. You will not just fill a bowl - you are supporting the emotional wellbeing for families under pressure, keeping pets in loving homes where they belong, and empowering a better future for pets and people." Meanwhile, Wills welcomed the fundraising drive. "It is amazing," she said. "It just takes the pressure off us. "We like to ask people, 'What do they need?' They'll say, 'Fruit and vege, meat and pet food. I've got a cat, I've got a dog etc,' so we'll just try and help them with those needs." Will said demand for the foodbank service was still huge. "To the end of July this year, we'd given out 2880 food parcels and that had helped feed more than 7000 people. "At the end of last year, we'd given out given out 5245 food parcels and fed just under 15,000 people, so we'll definitely match those numbers this year." How Kiwis can support: Donate just $2 in-store or online: Pet lovers can donate at the Petstock counter in-store or online at 100% of funds donated to the foundation supports its charitable partners and projects like Big Hearts, with all operating costs covered by the business
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- NZ Herald
Letters: Are we doing enough to plan for climate change?
The planet is already facing floods, fires and vicious storms, leaving desperate people on the move. This need is not chicken/egg situation. Without putting it in place first, all the hard work and financial input would be useless. Emma Mackintosh, Birkenhead. An NCEA alternative In 1998, in response to the clear flaws in the qualifications reforms being pushed through at the time, I led a team at the University of Waikato that developed and implemented in 2002 and 2003, in a number of secondary schools, an alternative qualification to the NCEA. It was in part modelled on the excellent Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) in Australia. Our qualification, initially in the subject of English, was owned by the University of Waikato, and registered on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework. The team of developers, mostly heads of English departments, addressed all issues associated with developing a qualification: curriculum design, assessment, reliability, progression, moderation, workload, cost and reporting. It used A-E standards-based assessment. It was independently evaluated by Professor Cedric Hall, and the results published. After two years of successful implementation, it was torpedoed by the NZQA, at a time when a number of schools were planning to adopt it. The model and the research associated with it is available and in the public domain. It was, and still is, a better model than the NCEA was ever going to be. Terry Locke, Emeritus Professor of Arts and Language Education, University of Waikato. Impact on our humanity It is clear that the starvation of, and attacks on the people of Gaza, and on the infrastructure there, is devastating, but it is also having a worrying effect on those of us watching events. We Kiwis, along with most of the rest of the world, have become like the audience in the Colosseum watching the Christians being fed to the lions, as we watch online in real time the events unfold in Gaza. We feel powerless to do anything. As a result our very humanity is also under attack. We are being conditioned to watch relentless attacks on our fellow human beings, and to accept that as normal. This is deeply concerning. In the future, our grandchildren might ask, 'You knew what was happening. What did you do?' And then, how shall we answer? Claire Chambers, Parnell. Follow Ireland's lead I urge fellow New Zealanders to support Ireland's call for a humanitarian corridor in Gaza. The scale of human suffering is immense, with civilians enduring famine, disease, and relentless violence. Ireland's proposal offers a critical lifeline – protected access for aid, grounded in international humanitarian law. Inaction is not neutrality – it is complicity. We have a moral obligation to speak out. The lives of countless innocent people depend on it. Paul Emmerson, Rotorua. Wrong sort of growth Simon Wilson writes (August 6) that when the Government abandoned plans for thousands of new Kainga Ora homes, it 'sounded the death knell' for much of the construction industry, and that '17,000 people lost their jobs in the construction sector in the last 18 months'. A functional government would have boosted public-sector housing. Instead, I see that the Government is now considering expanding the Hawke's Bay regional prison to take another 464 inmates, part of a 36% increase in the nationwide prison population expected over the next 10 years. So much for National's 'growth strategy'. Pauline Doyle, Napier Add 15% to the bill? A Royal New Zealand Air Force Hercules rescued three American people needing urgent medical attention from their base in Antarctica. It was a dangerous and daring mission to help friends. I presume we won't send an invoice, but if we did, perhaps we should add an extra 15 % surcharge. Steve Horne, Raglan.
