Much less income and wealth inequality, research clearly shows, is the best overall approach to creating a better society for all,. To reduce this inequality a really good start would be to have a decent tax system that is: significantly more progressive ie higher incomes pay much more tax and lower incomes much less; is much more comprehensive ie if you get money you pay tax on it regardless of source; and raises much more dollars so that our Government provides public ser

Wednesday, 17 December 2025, 8:12 pm The following is a Press Release from SociaLink "The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has recently released a report based on their interactions with people seeking help, revealing a growing crisis affecting people from all walks of life. The “Mana Āki - Dignity for All” report includes employed and unemployed, young and old, Māori, Pacific Peoples, and New Zealand Europeans, all struggling to meet basic living costs and access the support t

Photo by RJ Baculo on Unsplash Wicked problems demand better questions and bold conversations Inequality is what policy-makers call a wicked problem . There’s no single cause, no simple fix, and no point at which inequality can be declared “solved”. It’s shaped by decades of choices about housing, tax, wages, welfare — and about whose voices carry the most weight in our economy. As the year draws to a close, it can be tempting to look for neat summaries or pithy soundbites.

New Zealanders care deeply about fairness. We’re a country built on the belief that everyone should have a real chance to build a good life — supported by strong public health, decent education, affordable homes, and a social safety net we can trust. And yet the gap between those ideals and people’s lived reality is widening. Right now, families struggling with rising rents, rising food costs, and rising mortgage stress are also dealing with under-funded services. The health

New data: A $1m gap between rich and poor opens up in a decade PLUS: The first data in 20 years on who receives inheritances The IDEA Charitable Trust, September 26, 2025. Read in app Summary: In absolute dollar terms, the disparity between the richest and poorest fifths of households has risen significantly in the last ten years, new data shows The house-price boom, meanwhile, has raised the wealth share of the middle classes compared to the 1%, although this effect may be t