Inside New Zealand Documentary about NZ Homes, Hit's the mark.

Damp, Cold, Mouldy New Zealand Homes:

I've been talking about this with my friends for years and I am always labelled a whinger, but last night's hard hitting doco on the state of poverty among New Zealand children really proves that this is not just a minor annoyance, but a real health issue.

I am what you would call a middle-class New Zealand income earner, we do quite well financially, but still struggle to attain a minimum level of comfort in our home. We are spending thousands of dollars renovating to bring a basic level of insulation and heating that even the ancient Romans enjoyed.

This made me think, if we are uncomfortable, then what must it be like for people who are far poorer? last night's doco answered that question, and it was not pretty.

With the election fast approaching, there has been a lot of talk about that nasty word 'socialism'.

We have been told that the 'free market' and reducing the level of government 'interference' is a good thing for all of us.

I suppose in a sense, this is correct. After all, we have iPads now don't we? wouldn't you prefer an iPad over staying warm through winter?

Watching last nights documentary made me very angry, it proved to me once and for all, that New Zealand places far too much emphasis on 'lifestyle' and 'image' over basic necessities. Coming from Scotland, I am all too aware that we are not exactly considered the fashionable centre of the universe. Our houses may be mostly terraced, but they are warm and dry, our schools may not architecturally designed, but they are warm and dry.

The Inside NZ doco also explained that Sweden, a very similar country to NZ places great emphasis on a strong social foundation for it's citizens, ensuring food, shelter, and medical facilities are freely available for all Swedish children. If this is a version of Socialism, then I love it.

We are about to re-elect a government who (whether it's National or Labour) have, for whatever reason, neglected these basic things for decades!

The remarkable thing about all this, is that the alternative (socialist system) is CHEAPER! Preventative measures in all these areas are cheaper by a ratio of 4:1 (according to the Doco) It makes sense from a Capitalist standpoint!

That's correct, by giving our children free access to medical services, we lessen hospital admissions. By providing them food and milk at school, they learn better on a full stomach. This is a long term investment building more intelligent, productive workers for a future society.

That last paragraph will likely never appear as a tangible investment on a CEO's quarterly profit statement and that is why we need to stop our destructive path toward unfettered Capitalism and reclaim the Social foundation that we used to enjoy.

The Social Foundation that Sweden and many other countries, continue to enjoy.

Lets give New Zealand children food, warmth and banish the mould.