In this episode, we chat to Salvation Army social policy analyst Ronji Tanielu about the impact of harmful gambling on Kiwis, how companies prey on vulnerable communities and what The Salvation Army is doing to combat this.   ABOUT RONJI: After spending several years overseas as a self-funded Christian missionary (along with his wife Rabena), Ronji returned to Aotearoa in 2017. He works in our Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, trying to be as positively disruptive in his advocacy to government and stakeholders as possible.  You can read the full State of the Nation report here: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/state-nation-2022  Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/

In this episode, we chat with financial mentor Andrew Mitchell and social policy analyst Ronji Tanielu talk about the add-on insurance industry and why The Salvation Army is concerned about the impact it is having on vulnerable Kiwis.  The Salvation Army serves and supports over 140,000 people and whānau (families) per year, through our various churches and social support services. Many of these people are on benefits, lower incomes and face multiple complex social and financial issues. Additionally, many who use our various services buy cars via finance. Therefore, we believe there are real risks that this add-on market is disproportionately affecting vulnerable consumers and those whānau facing precarious financial positions as they navigate buying cars on finance and trying to understand intricate insurance products and details.   You can read a full paper on add-on insurance here: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/article/not-adding-spotlighting-add-insurance-aotearoa Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/

The Government's 2022 budget was released last week and we have some thoughts!  In this episode, we chat to Salvation Army social policy analyst Paul Barber about what The Salvation Army sees as the good points in this "secure future" Budget and what areas we found disappointing in terms of the level of immediate support provided to families struggling the most with the high cost of living and housing costs.  ABOUT PAUL : Paul has worked in the non-profit and social services sector for over 25 years, working on social policy issues with a focus on social justice and social transformation. Before joining SPPU in August 2019, he spent 15 years as a policy advisor with the NZ Council of Christian Social Services. His background is theological study with a focus on social ethics after earlier studying commerce and accountancy. Our media release on Budget 2022: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/news/budget-2022-disappointing-people-struggling-most Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/

In this episode we chat to Tessa Reardon, Business Partnerships Manager at The Salvation Army. Tessa has been a key part of the success and growth of The Foodbank Project, an online donation platform where people can buy food items that are donated to Salvation Army foodbanks to be distributed to Kiwis in need. We chat about why and how the project started and the incredible response from New Zealanders during the first Covid lockdown in 2020 (the project grew from 8000 donors to over 23,000 donors in just two weeks!).    ABOUT TESSA Tessa has had many roles in the past from youth pastor to catering driver, all leading her towards joining the Public Relations team at The Salvation Army in 2017. Tessa's role leading the Corporate Partnerships team changes day to day with the diversity of the amazing partners and all of the ways they support The Salvation Army's mission. In her spare time, she is passionate about loving people, growing things and supporting local Kiwi clothing designers.   Donate to The Foodbank Project: www.foodbankproject.org.nz The Foodbank Project in the media: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120737343/coronavirus-kiwis-kindness-shining-through-during-lockdown-with-over-850000-donated-to-foodbank Follow The Foodbank Project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodbankproject  Follow The Foodbank Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefoodbankprojectnz/  Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/

In this mini episode we chat to Amiria Te Whiu (Co-chair : The Salvation Army Runanga Te Tiriti o Waitangi Partnership Board & National Coordinator Maori Ministry Development for Community Ministries) and social policy analyst Paul Barber about the pattern of unfair and inequitable outcomes for Maori that exist in most of the indicators we use in the State of the Nation report. We chat about positive examples where change to reduce inequities is happening as well as identifying areas where long-standing inequity remains.   State of the Nation is a report released each year by The Salvation Army (now in its 15th year), that tracks the progress and decline of key wellbeing areas for communities across New Zealand.    You can read the full State of the Nation report here: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/state-nation-2022  Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/

In this episode we chat to social policy analyst Ronji Tanielu about the housing section of the 2022 State of the Nation report. We talk about the housing catastrophe New Zealand is experiencing, the concerning social housing register numbers and why stable housing is central to our overall wellbeing.  State of the Nation is a report released each year by The Salvation Army (now in its 15th year), that tracks progress and decline of key wellbeing areas for communities across New Zealand. One of these key wellbeing areas is housing.  ABOUT RONJI: After spending several years overseas as a self-funded Christian missionary (along with his wife Rabena), Ronji returned to Aotearoa in 2017. He works in our Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, trying to be as positively disruptive in his advocacy to government and stakeholders as possible.  You can read the full State of the Nation report here: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/state-nation-2022  Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/

In this episode we chat to Salvation Army social policy analyst Paul Barber about the work and incomes section of the 2022 State of the Nation report. We spoke to Paul about the effects the economy has had on low income and vulnerable households, the need for benefit levels to be looked at again and we touch some good news regarding overall employment levels. State of the Nation is a report released each year by The Salvation Army (now in its 15th year), that tracks progress and decline of key wellbeing areas for communities across New Zealand. One of these key wellbeing areas is work and incomes. ABOUT PAUL: Paul has worked in the non-profit and social services sector for over 25 years, working on social policy issues with a focus on social justice and social transformation. Before joining SPPU in August 2019, he spent 15 years as a policy advisor with the NZ Council of Christian Social Services. His background is theological study with a focus on social ethics after earlier studying commerce and accountancy. You can read the full State of the Nation report here: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/state-nation-2022  Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/

In this episode we chat to social policy analyst Ana Ika about the crime and punishment section of the State of the Nation report. State of the Nation is a report released each year by The Salvation Army (now in its 15th year), that tracks progress and decline of key wellbeing areas for communities across New Zealand.  One of these key wellbeing areas is crime and the justice system.  We spoke to Ana about victimisation and why it affects young people disproportionately, along with highlighting New Zealand’s sobering family violence statistics.  You can read the full State of the Nation report here: https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/state-nation-2022  Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyNZFTS  Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/salvationarmynzfts/