As City Missioner I often hear that the poor are lazy bludgers prone to drink, smoke, gamble, and have too many children. It's a view of "the poor" as unrealistic and as unfair as any caricature of "the rich" as heartless brutes whose sole interest in life is to make money.
The practical generosity of the many wealthy Aucklanders who support the Mission give the lie to that stereotype. Like me, they are nostalgic for the time when extremes of wealth and poverty were rare, where jobs were available for nearly everyone, and few needed to rely on the structured support of the welfare state, or the charitable impulses of well-intentioned individuals.
One of the knowns of 2012 is that it will see a renewed focus on poverty in New Zealand. The promised ministerial inquiry will provide a focus for the many New Zealanders who fear long-term damage to our social fabric if we allow a "haves, have nots" society to become entrenched.
Even with the best political will in the world, reversing the trends of the last 30 years will be a challenge.
Our chance of finding a way forward will be enhanced if those involved in the inquiry can bring to their task a genuine empathy for the less fortunate that looks beyond lazy stereotypes.
We need, in particular, a generous and active concern for the many children who live in homes in which economic and social deprivation blights their prospects.
I feel anxiety for New Zealand as I look at what might happen over the next 12 months. The world is being buffeted by an economic storm that is already blowing our way. I'm also optimistic. What I see in New Zealanders is a genuine goodwill towards each other that is not fettered by class, religion or race.
That goodwill drove our social innovation in the past. That goodwill will keep us motivated as we look for solutions to the problems we face now.
May Christmas be one of safety, of feeling cared for, and one to be happily remembered as you spend time with family and friends.
Diane Robertson is Auckland City Missioner
