Income inequality exposes Government's failure

Falling household incomes and the ever widening gap between rich and poor in New Zealand are an indictment on John Key’s Government, says David Shearer.

“John Key promised Kiwis a brighter future, but the latest data from the Ministry of Social Development shows he is failing spectacularly.

“Between 2010 and 2011 the average income for workers fell three per cent in real terms, and the gap between rich and poor has never been wider in New Zealand’s history.

“And what’s even worse, the number of children living in hardship has increased from 15 per cent in 2007 to 21 per cent last year.  That’s nothing less than a bloody disgrace.

“The Household Incomes Report exposes John Key and Bill English’s economic failure for all to see.  The vast majority of Kiwi families have ended up worse off on their watch.

“Income inequality and poverty have a corrosive effect on the lives of individuals and society as a whole.  The National Government has sat back and watched New Zealand slide backwards – that’s just not good enough.

“National can’t fix the problem; they are part of the problem,” says David Shearer.