Kerre Woodham: When did parents stop wanting more for their kids?

When did parents stop wanting more for their kids? The figures out today are absolutely appalling and paint a grim future for thousands of young New Zealanders. People aged 16-24 who are on the main benefit can expect to stay there for 20.4 years. I suppose we'll take the good news where we find it – that's down from 21.3 years. But good Lord, what a miserable existence for so many young people and what a shocking waste of potential. Young beneficiaries are more likely to have lower skill levels, more casual employment arrangements and high level of employment in low paid industries.  

And what the Ministry of Social Development report didn't say, because it wasn't within their purview, was that there's an army of uneducated kids coming up on the horizon. In the past decade chronic truancy has doubled in secondary schools, nearly tripled in primary schools. Another report released this week reveals more than 80,000 students missed more than three weeks of school in Term 2 this year. And where the hell will the truants end up when they finally drift away from education altogether? On a benefit.  

Social Development Minister Louise Upston told the Mike Hosking Breakfast the Government is committed to getting young people into work: 

“When the labour market is tight young people are disproportionately affected, but the good news is when the economy turns, they also pick up employment more quickly. We need to ensure they spend less time on welfare, that they don't get stuck there, and that we get them on track with some training, with some education and definitely with some work opportunities. That's why we've set the target to reduce the number on Jobseeker benefit by 50,000 in six years, because we know work makes such a difference to people's lives.” 

It really does. So, the Government is doing what it can, community organisations are doing what they can, where are the parents in all of this? I get that life can be really, really tough, but then it always has been for a sector of the population. It was really tough for my dad, who was born in a depression work camp in a tent. He grew up in a state house and getting into a state house was like winning the lottery for his mum and dad. Getting out of the state house and into a home of his own was my dad's driving motivation. He used education to do it. He was determined that his own children would never grow up relying on the government for anything, and we didn't. Even when I was a single mum, I never took a benefit. I could work and so I did.  

Education has been seen for centuries as the ticket out of poverty, and out of misery, and out of a predetermined future. You might be doing it hard. You might feel the system failed you, you have little education, you have never worked, and you struggle from day-to-day, but surely you don't want the same for your kids? All you have to do is get them to school. They'll be safe there, they'll be educated there, they will get into the custom of getting up and going to work. They'll even be fed there. And I bet if you find it hard to put them on a bus or walk them to school, if you ring the school they'll have someone who can come and collect them. You might be struggling, you might think you're worthless, you might think life is hopeless, but do not let your legacy to your kids be the same miserable existence. Listen to Education Minister Erica Stanford, who was on the Mike Hosking Breakfast last week: 

“I've been very clear about the drivers of inequality, and it is poverty. In this country your means to determine your destiny. It is almost the one single factor that is the cause of that yawning gap, which is why when you turn up to school, we need to cloak you in that protective factor that is education.” 

That is what so many families for hundreds of years have seen education as

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the carrywood of morning's podcast from News
Talk said, B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
When did parents stop wanting more for their kids? The
figures out today are absolutely appalling and paint a grim
future for thousands of young New Zealanders. People age sixteen
to twenty four who are on a main benefit can

(00:33):
expect to stay there for twenty point four years. I
suppose we'll take the good news where we find it.
That's down from twenty one point three years. But good lord,
what a miserable existence for so many young people, and
what a shocking waste of potential. Young beneficiaries are more

(00:58):
likely to have lower skill levels, more casual employment arrangements,
and high level of employment and low paid in industries.
And what the Ministry of Social Development report didn't say
because it wasn't within their purview, was that there's an
army of uneducated kids coming up on the horizon. In

(01:19):
the past decade, chronic truancy has doubled in secondary schools
nearly tripled in primary schools. Another report released this week
reveals more than eighty thousand students missed more than three
weeks of school in term two this year. And where
the hell will the truance end up when they finally

(01:41):
drift away from education altogether on a benefit. Social Development
Minister Louise Upston told the Microsking Breakfast the government is
committed to getting young people into work.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
When the labor market is tight at young people are
disproportionately affected. But the good news is when the economy burns,
they also pick up employment more quickly. So we need
to ensure they spend less time on welfare, that they
don't get stuck there, and that we get them on
track with some training, with some education, and definitely with

(02:14):
some work opportunities. That's why we've set the target to
reduce the number on jobs he can benefit by fifty
thousand in six years, because we know work makes such
a difference to people's lives.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
It really does. So the government is doing what it can,
community organizations are doing what they can. Where are the
parents in all of this? I get that life can
be really, really tough, but then it always has been
for a sector of the population. It was really tough
for my dad, who was born in a depression work

(02:47):
camp in a tent. He grew up in a state house,
and getting into a state house was like winning the
lottery for his mum and dad. Getting out of the
state house and into a home of his own was
my dad's driving motivation. He used education to do it.
He was herman too, that his own children would never

(03:08):
grow up relying on the government for anything, And we didn't.
Even when I was a single mum, I never took
a benefit. I could work, and so I did. Education
has been seen for centuries as the ticket out of
poverty and out of misery and out of a predetermined future.

(03:31):
You might be doing it hard. You might feel the
system failed you. You have little education, you have never worked,
and you struggle from day to day. But surely you
don't want the same for your kids. All you have
to do is get them to school. They'll be safe there,

(03:52):
they'll be educated there, they will get into the custom
of getting up and going to work. They'll even be
fed there. And I bet if you find it hard
to put them on a barsal water, help them to school.
If you ring the school, they'll have someone who can
come and collect them. You might be struggling, you might

(04:17):
think you're worthless, you might think life is hopeless, but
do not let your legacy to your kids be the
same miserable existence. Listen to Education Minister Erica Stanford, who
was on the My Costing Breakfast last week.

Speaker 4 (04:32):
I've been very clear about the drivers of inequality, and
it is poverty. In this country. Your means determine your destiny.
It is almost the one single factor that is the
cause of that yawning gap, which is why when you
turn up to school, we need to cloak you in
that protective factor that is education.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
That is what so many families for hundreds of years
have seen education as a protective cloak. That means they
do not have to live the same life as their parents.
But then that is what parents wanted. You always want
your kids to do better than you have done, to
be better parents, to have more options, to live better lives.

(05:17):
When the hell did parents stop wanting more for their children.
So yes, the figures are grim. From the Ministry of
Social Development, young people age sixteen to twenty four who
are on a main benefit can expect to be there
for twenty years. And we have more than eighty thousand

(05:39):
kids coming up over the horizon, unskilled, uneducated, unless we
change our ways and we change them now.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
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