Latest news with #Johanson
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Youth Homelessness Advocate Says Budget Fails Most Vulnerable
Article – RNZ The head of a group that helps the homeless fears proposed changes could push some young people into harm's way. , Māori News Journalist A youth homelessness advocate says this year's Budget delivered no support for young people, calling proposed changes to benefit access 'cold' and 'harsh'. Manaaki Rangatahi Pou Arahi (chief executive) Bianca Johanson told RNZ she was hopeful the Budget would offer targeted relief for Māori and unemployed rangatahi (young people) – but that hope quickly faded. 'We knew there wasn't going to be a lot for Māori,' she said. 'But we were hopeful there'd be something for rangatahi, seeing that such a high rate of them are unemployed… but we didn't see any alleviation.' Johanson said, 'Māori were ignored in this budget.' 'That has been disheartening.' Manaaki Rangatahi is a national youth homelessness collective dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Aotearoa. It was established in 2018 as a way of consolidating the mahi of different organisations who are also trying to tackle youth homelessness. Johanson said the sector was seeing the impact of the cost of living crisis, particularly on youth facing housing insecurity – the majority of them Māori. 'For us at Manaaki Rangatahi, we see homelessness, we see a lot of the struggle. People are really hurting.' A call for Manaakitanga Minister for Social Development Louise Upston announced in this year's Budget that from July 2027, 18 and 19-year-olds would now have their Jobseeker and emergency benefits tested against their parents' incomes. The policy is forecast to save the government about $163 million over four years, but the income levels parents would be tested against have not yet been decided by Cabinet. Johanson said the proposed changes were likely to make things harder for the already most vulnerable. 'If the rangatahi is the one that has to do all that advocacy for themselves, go and get their parents' details – this is a very complex situation. 'There are so many people who are the 'working poor' having to support an 18 or 19-year-old on top of all their other expenses. It could actually drive rangatahi out of home.' She fears the proposed changes could create more tension within households and push some youth into harm's way – such as crime and violence. 'I see a lot of these decisions as causing more harm and putting rangatahi and whānau into stressful situations which can create harm. There's no way that this is going to create any kind of unity in the whānau, or support whānau to be together.' '[Māori] are the head of really terrible statistics in Aotearoa – so this Budget and many of the policies that the government have brought forward, aren't exactly addressing them.' She believed kaupapa Māori principles, like manaakitanga, should be at the forefront of decisions made by the government. 'If we're looking at this government and the manaaki that they've shown to Māori, and to rangatahi, it's very absent,' Johanson said. 'We see culture as a solution and as a tool of healing. It is what heals our rangatahi in a lot of our youth housing programmes.' 'Rangatahi are our future' Johanson said as it stood, New Zealand did not have a strategy dedicated to support those that were the most vulnerable – rangatahi impacted by homelessness. 'Rangatahi are our future and we're not investing in the future,' she said. 'We are damning our children and our rangatahi, the most vital, important people for our future as a country to what? Living on the streets? To be without work? To have really high mental health and suicide stats? I don't understand the logic.' Upston previously said the purpose of the welfare system was to support those who needed it the most. 'With this announcement, we're clearly saying that 18- and 19-year-olds who don't study or work and can't support themselves financially, should be supported by their parents or guardians, not by the taxpayer.' Johanson believed this response was out of touch. 'It's harsh, it's cold, 'she said. 'Most people in Aotearoa want to give others a fair go. But we've got kaumātua and kuia working into their 70s and 80s to survive. We've got rangatahi who've been born into homelessness, who don't know what it's like to have their own bedroom – and now we expect their parents to provide support too?' In response, Upston said the government was 'taking steps to make sure work, training or study is the focus for all young people'. 'This government recognises that the welfare system should be available for those who most need it. However, we aren't willing to watch any young New Zealanders get stuck on the benefit,' she said. 'Recent forecasts show that people under the age of 25 on Jobseeker Support will spend an average of 18 or more years on a benefit over their lifetimes – 49 percent longer than in 2017. That's why I prioritised Welfare that Works in Budget 2025.' Upston said the 'Welfare that Works' package included secure funding for two years of Community Coaches and bonus payments – 'giving Jobseekers under 25 years more coaching, an assessment of their needs, an individual plan and holding them accountable for achieving that plan.' In terms of the specific policy settings for the 18-19-year-old initiative, final decisions on the parental assistance test will be made later this year, including settings for access to hardship and supplementary assistance. 'The design of the test is likely to take into account a range of considerations including (but not limited to) parents' income level, nature of relationship with the 18- or 19-year-old and circumstances such as whether the parent or guardian are in hospital or in prison.' Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka said the government was investing in rangatahi Māori through education and housing initiatives. 'The government is investing in rangatahi Māori through the overall increase in education funding as well as the extra investment in Māori education specifically, which includes additional funding for kura, te reo Māori proficiency and training for kaiako [teachers]. 'Our aspirations are the same as those shared by many parents across the motu: we want to see all rangatahi make the most of their talents. That's why we're saying 18 and 19-year-olds who aren't working or studying should be supported by their parents or guardians, not the taxpayer.' He said it was 'wrong' to say the government did not care about housing for vulnerable young people. 'Our housing policy has lifted hundreds of Māori whānau and tamariki out of dire emergency housing and into better homes. That can mean a world of difference for young people in terms of better health, regular school attendance or maintaining employment.' 'Talk to us' Johanson was calling for the government to engage with those directly affected. 'We always ask the government to come talk to us before they make some of these quite strange sanctions and expectations on whānau,' she said. 'We are the sector experts. Rangatahi are the experts. Come and talk to us.'
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Youth Homelessness Advocate Says Budget Fails Most Vulnerable
Article – RNZ The head of a group that helps the homeless fears proposed changes could push some young people into harm's way. A youth homelessness advocate says this year's Budget delivered no support for young people, calling proposed changes to benefit access 'cold' and 'harsh'. Manaaki Rangatahi Pou Arahi (chief executive) Bianca Johanson told RNZ she was hopeful the Budget would offer targeted relief for Māori and unemployed rangatahi (young people) – but that hope quickly faded. 'We knew there wasn't going to be a lot for Māori,' she said. 'But we were hopeful there'd be something for rangatahi, seeing that such a high rate of them are unemployed… but we didn't see any alleviation.' Johanson said, 'Māori were ignored in this budget.' 'That has been disheartening.' Manaaki Rangatahi is a national youth homelessness collective dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Aotearoa. It was established in 2018 as a way of consolidating the mahi of different organisations who are also trying to tackle youth homelessness. Johanson said the sector was seeing the impact of the cost of living crisis, particularly on youth facing housing insecurity – the majority of them Māori. 'For us at Manaaki Rangatahi, we see homelessness, we see a lot of the struggle. People are really hurting.' A call for Manaakitanga Minister for Social Development Louise Upston announced in this year's Budget that from July 2027, 18 and 19-year-olds would now have their Jobseeker and emergency benefits tested against their parents' incomes. The policy is forecast to save the government about $163 million over four years, but the income levels parents would be tested against have not yet been decided by Cabinet. Johanson said the proposed changes were likely to make things harder for the already most vulnerable. 'If the rangatahi is the one that has to do all that advocacy for themselves, go and get their parents' details – this is a very complex situation. 'There are so many people who are the 'working poor' having to support an 18 or 19-year-old on top of all their other expenses. It could actually drive rangatahi out of home.' She fears the proposed changes could create more tension within households and push some youth into harm's way – such as crime and violence. 'I see a lot of these decisions as causing more harm and putting rangatahi and whānau into stressful situations which can create harm. There's no way that this is going to create any kind of unity in the whānau, or support whānau to be together.' '[Māori] are the head of really terrible statistics in Aotearoa – so this Budget and many of the policies that the government have brought forward, aren't exactly addressing them.' She believed kaupapa Māori principles, like manaakitanga, should be at the forefront of decisions made by the government. 'If we're looking at this government and the manaaki that they've shown to Māori, and to rangatahi, it's very absent,' Johanson said. 'We see culture as a solution and as a tool of healing. It is what heals our rangatahi in a lot of our youth housing programmes.' 'Rangatahi are our future' Johanson said as it stood, New Zealand did not have a strategy dedicated to support those that were the most vulnerable – rangatahi impacted by homelessness. 'Rangatahi are our future and we're not investing in the future,' she said. 'We are damning our children and our rangatahi, the most vital, important people for our future as a country to what? Living on the streets? To be without work? To have really high mental health and suicide stats? I don't understand the logic.' Upston previously said the purpose of the welfare system was to support those who needed it the most. 'With this announcement, we're clearly saying that 18- and 19-year-olds who don't study or work and can't support themselves financially, should be supported by their parents or guardians, not by the taxpayer.' Johanson believed this response was out of touch. 'It's harsh, it's cold, 'she said. 'Most people in Aotearoa want to give others a fair go. But we've got kaumātua and kuia working into their 70s and 80s to survive. We've got rangatahi who've been born into homelessness, who don't know what it's like to have their own bedroom – and now we expect their parents to provide support too?' In response, Upston said the government was 'taking steps to make sure work, training or study is the focus for all young people'. 'This government recognises that the welfare system should be available for those who most need it. However, we aren't willing to watch any young New Zealanders get stuck on the benefit,' she said. 'Recent forecasts show that people under the age of 25 on Jobseeker Support will spend an average of 18 or more years on a benefit over their lifetimes – 49 percent longer than in 2017. That's why I prioritised Welfare that Works in Budget 2025.' Upston said the 'Welfare that Works' package included secure funding for two years of Community Coaches and bonus payments – 'giving Jobseekers under 25 years more coaching, an assessment of their needs, an individual plan and holding them accountable for achieving that plan.' In terms of the specific policy settings for the 18-19-year-old initiative, final decisions on the parental assistance test will be made later this year, including settings for access to hardship and supplementary assistance. 'The design of the test is likely to take into account a range of considerations including (but not limited to) parents' income level, nature of relationship with the 18- or 19-year-old and circumstances such as whether the parent or guardian are in hospital or in prison.' Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka said the government was investing in rangatahi Māori through education and housing initiatives. 'The government is investing in rangatahi Māori through the overall increase in education funding as well as the extra investment in Māori education specifically, which includes additional funding for kura, te reo Māori proficiency and training for kaiako [teachers]. 'Our aspirations are the same as those shared by many parents across the motu: we want to see all rangatahi make the most of their talents. That's why we're saying 18 and 19-year-olds who aren't working or studying should be supported by their parents or guardians, not the taxpayer.' He said it was 'wrong' to say the government did not care about housing for vulnerable young people. 'Our housing policy has lifted hundreds of Māori whānau and tamariki out of dire emergency housing and into better homes. That can mean a world of difference for young people in terms of better health, regular school attendance or maintaining employment.' 'Talk to us' Johanson was calling for the government to engage with those directly affected. 'We always ask the government to come talk to us before they make some of these quite strange sanctions and expectations on whānau,' she said. 'We are the sector experts. Rangatahi are the experts. Come and talk to us.'
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Youth Homelessness Advocate Says Budget Fails Most Vulnerable
A youth homelessness advocate says this year's Budget delivered no support for young people, calling proposed changes to benefit access "cold" and "harsh". Manaaki Rangatahi Pou Arahi (chief executive) Bianca Johanson told RNZ she was hopeful the Budget would offer targeted relief for Māori and unemployed rangatahi (young people) - but that hope quickly faded. "We knew there wasn't going to be a lot for Māori," she said. "But we were hopeful there'd be something for rangatahi, seeing that such a high rate of them are unemployed... but we didn't see any alleviation." Johanson said, "Māori were ignored in this budget." "That has been disheartening." Manaaki Rangatahi is a national youth homelessness collective dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Aotearoa. It was established in 2018 as a way of consolidating the mahi of different organisations who are also trying to tackle youth homelessness. Johanson said the sector was seeing the impact of the cost of living crisis, particularly on youth facing housing insecurity - the majority of them Māori. "For us at Manaaki Rangatahi, we see homelessness, we see a lot of the struggle. People are really hurting." A call for Manaakitanga Minister for Social Development Louise Upston announced in this year's Budget that from July 2027, 18 and 19-year-olds would now have their Jobseeker and emergency benefits tested against their parents' incomes. The policy is forecast to save the government about $163 million over four years, but the income levels parents would be tested against have not yet been decided by Cabinet. Johanson said the proposed changes were likely to make things harder for the already most vulnerable. "If the rangatahi is the one that has to do all that advocacy for themselves, go and get their parents' details - this is a very complex situation. "There are so many people who are the 'working poor' having to support an 18 or 19-year-old on top of all their other expenses. It could actually drive rangatahi out of home." She fears the proposed changes could create more tension within households and push some youth into harm's way - such as crime and violence. "I see a lot of these decisions as causing more harm and putting rangatahi and whānau into stressful situations which can create harm. There's no way that this is going to create any kind of unity in the whānau, or support whānau to be together." "[Māori] are the head of really terrible statistics in Aotearoa - so this Budget and many of the policies that the government have brought forward, aren't exactly addressing them." She believed kaupapa Māori principles, like manaakitanga, should be at the forefront of decisions made by the government. "If we're looking at this government and the manaaki that they've shown to Māori, and to rangatahi, it's very absent," Johanson said. "We see culture as a solution and as a tool of healing. It is what heals our rangatahi in a lot of our youth housing programmes." 'Rangatahi are our future' Johanson said as it stood, New Zealand did not have a strategy dedicated to support those that were the most vulnerable - rangatahi impacted by homelessness. "Rangatahi are our future and we're not investing in the future," she said. "We are damning our children and our rangatahi, the most vital, important people for our future as a country to what? Living on the streets? To be without work? To have really high mental health and suicide stats? I don't understand the logic." Upston previously said the purpose of the welfare system was to support those who needed it the most. "With this announcement, we're clearly saying that 18- and 19-year-olds who don't study or work and can't support themselves financially, should be supported by their parents or guardians, not by the taxpayer." Johanson believed this response was out of touch. "It's harsh, it's cold, "she said. "Most people in Aotearoa want to give others a fair go. But we've got kaumātua and kuia working into their 70s and 80s to survive. We've got rangatahi who've been born into homelessness, who don't know what it's like to have their own bedroom - and now we expect their parents to provide support too?" In response, Upston said the government was "taking steps to make sure work, training or study is the focus for all young people". "This government recognises that the welfare system should be available for those who most need it. However, we aren't willing to watch any young New Zealanders get stuck on the benefit," she said. "Recent forecasts show that people under the age of 25 on Jobseeker Support will spend an average of 18 or more years on a benefit over their lifetimes - 49 percent longer than in 2017. That's why I prioritised Welfare that Works in Budget 2025." Upston said the "Welfare that Works" package included secure funding for two years of Community Coaches and bonus payments - "giving Jobseekers under 25 years more coaching, an assessment of their needs, an individual plan and holding them accountable for achieving that plan." In terms of the specific policy settings for the 18-19-year-old initiative, final decisions on the parental assistance test will be made later this year, including settings for access to hardship and supplementary assistance. "The design of the test is likely to take into account a range of considerations including (but not limited to) parents' income level, nature of relationship with the 18- or 19-year-old and circumstances such as whether the parent or guardian are in hospital or in prison." Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka said the government was investing in rangatahi Māori through education and housing initiatives. "The government is investing in rangatahi Māori through the overall increase in education funding as well as the extra investment in Māori education specifically, which includes additional funding for kura, te reo Māori proficiency and training for kaiako [teachers]. "Our aspirations are the same as those shared by many parents across the motu: we want to see all rangatahi make the most of their talents. That's why we're saying 18 and 19-year-olds who aren't working or studying should be supported by their parents or guardians, not the taxpayer." He said it was "wrong" to say the government did not care about housing for vulnerable young people. "Our housing policy has lifted hundreds of Māori whānau and tamariki out of dire emergency housing and into better homes. That can mean a world of difference for young people in terms of better health, regular school attendance or maintaining employment." 'Talk to us' Johanson was calling for the government to engage with those directly affected. "We always ask the government to come talk to us before they make some of these quite strange sanctions and expectations on whānau," she said. "We are the sector experts. Rangatahi are the experts. Come and talk to us."
1News
19-05-2025
- Business
- 1News
Council considers regulations against abandoning supermarket trolleys
Christchurch councillors say shopping trolleys are being abandoned on footpaths and in rivers, causing a nuisance and costing businesses millions of dollars. Council staff responded to reports of 6313 abandoned trolleys in the city in the year to last October, more than half of which came from the country's two biggest supermarket chains —2238 from Woolworths New Zealand and 1652 from Foodstuffs-owned Pak'nSave and New World. RNZ has been told trolleys cost an average of $300 but could cost up to $700 each, with Woolworths spending more than $1.5 million per year on abandoned trolleys nationwide. Abandoned trolleys were generally reported via the Snap Send Solve app and directed to the retailer who owned the trolley for collection. On Wednesday, councillors would consider a staff report outlining regulatory and non-regulatory options for addressing the problem by either by adding a clause to an existing waste bylaw or working with Retail NZ on a memorandum of understanding. Under that approach, they would collaborate on preventive measures and collecting and returning trolleys to stores. Staff also canvassed distance and time limits around trolley use, including coin deposit locks and wheel locks, although they noted the coin system could easily be circumvented by inserting another item like a key into the slot and people could keep pushing trolleys with locked wheels, breaking them. Woolworths New Zealand said it had trolley collection services to help keep streets tidy. "We want to keep our local communities tidy and trolley-free and ensure that we have enough trolleys available in our stores," a spokesperson said. "We spend over $1.5 million a year on collecting abandoned trolleys, and our contractors collect around 80,000 trolleys and return them to our stores every year." Foodstuffs said most customers did the right thing and returned trolleys to their designated bays. "Out of the hundreds used each week, only a small number are taken off-site. We regularly patrol nearby streets to collect abandoned trolleys, and when members of the public report one, we aim to retrieve it as quickly as possible," a spokesperson said. "However, trolleys do occasionally go missing, and it's always disappointing when they're stolen or dumped. We encourage the public to report any misplaced or stolen trolleys so we can arrange prompt collection.'' Councillor Yani Johanson said he had once seen 10 trolleys in one street, and in one case it took more than a month and 10 complaints for a trolley to be collected. "The people that own the shopping trolleys have a duty of care to the environment and the community to pick them up and to stop them from being abandoned in the first place," he said. Johanson had requested the council to take a similar approach to Auckland Council, which had added shopping trolleys as a clause in its waste management and minimisation bylaw in 2019. Councillor Aaron Keown said supermarkets and other shopping precincts should have areas beyond which trolleys cannot go, otherwise it would be treated as theft. "I'm not allowed to walk into the store and grab six blocks of chocolate and walk out, trolleys are exactly the same," he said. "People take this liberty that 'it's a shopping trolley, I'll just use it to get my goods home'. It's not for that, stop doing it." Councillor Sara Templeton said trolleys were sometimes abandoned because people did not have another way to take their groceries home. "In Ōtautahi Christchurch we have 13% of adults who don't have a driver's licence. For many of them, being able to transport groceries home in another way is really valuable," she said. "Yes, they should be taking them back afterwards, but I'm not in favour of stopping people being able to remove trolleys from business premises." Retail NZ advocacy manager Ann-Marie Johnson said she favoured a solution involving both the council and retailers. "Then you've got willing partners on both sides to investigate the issue, whereas if it's put into a bylaw, that can be a heavy-hitting approach," she said. By RNZ's Joe Shaw
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Here's what a Beatles song and a fossil have to do with a NASA mission to study asteroids
Instead of picturing yourself in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, picture a spacecraft approaching a series of asteroids trapped by Jupiter's gravity. On Sunday, April 20, NASA's Lucy spacecraft — with ties to The Beatles' famous song with Lucy in the name — will make a close approach to study and photograph the asteroid Donaldjohanson, according to the space agency. This will be NASA's dress rehearsal before it approaches the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. These leftovers of the early solar system orbit in 'swarms' that lead and follow Jupiter's orbit, NASA stated. But they are not close in proximity to the largest planet in Earth's cosmic neighborhood. Lucy launched to the stars on Oct. 16, 2021, and is on a trajectory to study eight of the never-before-studied Jupiter Trojan asteroids, NASA said. The first few asteroids, including Donaldjohanson, make up part of the main asteroid belt that intersects the solar system between Mars and Jupiter. After two months of photographing Donaldjohanson, Lucy will continue until it reaches the first Jupiter Trojan asteroid Eurybates and its satellite Queta in 2027. Lucy's 12-year mission should conclude with the study of the asteroid Patroclus and its satellite Menoetius on March 3, 2033. The names of both Donaldjohanson and the spacecraft share a common thread with scientific exploration on Earth. The asteroid was named after anthropologist Donald Johanson, who in 1974 discovered what was then the oldest and most complete pre-human skeleton ever found, NASA stated. When the skeleton was found in Ethiopia, 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by The Beatles played on the radio. Johanson and others named their find Lucy. 'And just as the Lucy fossil provided unique insights into human evolution, the Lucy mission promises to expand our knowledge of planetary origins,' the agency added. 4 planets align in early-morning sky: How and where to spot them Could Mass. see the northern lights in the night sky on Wednesday? Get ready for shooting stars: Lyrid meteor shower to illuminate night sky Remember when Pluto was a planet? Here's 10 photos NASA took of the dwarf planet Meteor shower known for 'fireballs' is coming this week: How to watch
