Ezekiel Raui, 21, hopes the Wellbeing Budget will address the way youth mental health projects are funded. Photo / File
Ezekiel Raui, 21, hopes the Wellbeing Budget will address the way youth mental health projects are funded. Photo / File
Additional and improved funding for youth-focused mental health programmes; better resourcing of smaller community groups; a lift in incomes; and affordable and adequate housing.
These are some of the things Northlanders are hoping to see in this year's Budget.
Labelled the Wellbeing Budget, the Government said it is about tacklingNew Zealand's long-term challenges by focusing on five priorities:
• Creating opportunities for productive businesses, regions, iwi and others to transition to a sustainable and low-emissions economy
• Supporting a thriving nation in the digital age through innovation, social and economic opportunities
Ezekiel Raui, 21 from Whatuwhiwhi, is the creator of Tū Kotahi - a peer-support programme designed after comedian and mental health campaigner Mike King spoke at Taipa Area School in 2013 following a cluster of suicides in 2012.
He said he hoped the Budget, which is being announced tomorrow, took in to consideration the way funding of youth mental health projects was distributed as it was currently "quite competitive".
"It forces a lot of amazing organisations to compete against each other to seize whatever funding is given out on the day.
"The distribution of that funding should be encouraging collaboration and should look at ensuring organisations within a region or community are working towards the same outcomes if they are applying for the same set of funding."
Finance Minister Grant Robertson with copies of his Wellbeing Budget 2019 hot off the press. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Raui also believes there needs to be more funding of youth-focused mental health programmes.
He said while there is funding available through district health boards, a lot of that was for working alongside those who were, on a scale, considered a higher-risk.
Really what we need to be doing is investing in early prevention to hopefully reduce the amount of people who need that support.
Raui was not the only one who raised the issue of how funds were distributed.
Martin Kaipo, chief executive of Te Hau Awhiowhio o Ōtangarei Trust, said smaller community groups needed resourcing. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Marin Kaipo, chief executive of Te Hau Awhiowhio o Ōtangarei Trust, also said the budget needed to address the competitive environment between organisations.
"You've got a system where we're set up to compete against each other. We talk about Whānau Ora and working collectively, but boards don't allow that, policy doesn't allow us to truly integrate. It takes a village to raise a child but when you're talking to organisations, we're so competitive there is no room for integration," he said.
Kaipo also believed smaller organisations needed more funding.
"How much of a difference have those mainstream organisations done, while the statistics continue to grow? Smaller organisations - especially in communities where no one wants to touch - they have those solutions internally but have they been resourced adequately? Not necessarily."
Ange Tepania, kaiārahi (manager) for the Te Tai Tokerau Emergency Housing Trust, hoped the budget would boost incomes. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Ange Tepania, kaiārahi (manager) for the Te Tai Tokerau Emergency Housing Trust, said there was no one fix for poverty but she hoped the Budget would boost incomes.
"If we're talking about working families that are in or slightly above the poverty line, we're talking about raising the minimum wage to the actual living wage.
"When we take a look at the basic needs of families and their incomes and what they're trying to provide for their families, we're talking about those very basic costs of rent, food, transport, childcare and healthcare. Those are pretty much taking up the bulk of any whānau income," she said.
Liz Cassidy-Nelson, chief executive officer of 155 Community House, wanted to see a boost in incomes and affordable, adequate and available housing. Photo / Supplied
Liz Cassidy-Nelson, chief executive officer of 155 Community House, agreed the Budget needed to boost incomes and said it also needed to ensure that housing is adequate, affordable and available for all.
"At 155 we are hearing too many stories from hard working whanau that can not afford to make ends meet. Sadly, they often have to choose between paying rent or buying food.
"We are seeing a growing houselesspopulation too, but there are not enough houses to meet the need in Whangārei," she said.
WHAT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED SO FAR
• $95m across four years to train 3280 new teachers
• $98m for whānau-based prisoner rehabilitation
• $94m for Housing First - an initiative aiming to home the homeless
• $70m across four years for the removal of NCEA fees and the continued rollout of the online programme so students can opt to sit their exams using a PC or laptop
• $16m for Census improvements
WHERE TO GET HELP:
• LIFELINE: 0800 543 354 or 09 5222 999 within Auckland (available 24/7)
