May 25, 2022
Cost of living payment band aid for hungry whānau
Manurewa Marae Chief Executive Takutaimoana Natasha Kemp says a $350 band-aid will do little to help whanau struggling with the rising cost of living.
Ms Kemp says the three-month cost of living payment introduced as part of Budget 2022 for people earning under $70,000 is a short term fix for a long term problem.
Kai packs are still in high demand from her South Auckland community, and she’s expecting it to increase as winter approaches.
“Kai’s gone up. Petrol’s gone up. It doesn’t go very far out here in the community and we still see that with the numbers of whanau coming here to the marae to get kai,” Ms Kemp says.
The marae is preparing for a surge in both Covid and influenza.