Settling In Palmerston North and Feilding - Human Rights Commission

Cost of living• ‘We have 2–3 jobs but still we don’t have savings, our income is not enough for school fees, uniforms, doctor (if sick) car, power bills,telephone and food’• ‘Income is too small here – we need to work 2–3 jobs to meet our financial needs’• ‘Rates in Feilding are the highest in NZ – need to be reduced.’• ‘Cellphone costs, so expensive in NZ compared to overseas.’• ‘Internet costs lower.’• ‘Food is so expensive here. Why do we have to pay $10 $12.00/kg for lamb in NZ when we produce it here in abundance! This is justridiculous! Same goes for milk, cheese etc. For poor people its just like gold for them. Basic food items like milk, bread, rice, lamb, chicken,vegetables and fruit should have GST removed from them.’• ‘She was used to shop in markets, but she found she had to think again when she looked at “specials” in supermarkets … are they reallycheap?’• ‘As a cleaner, salary is low ($12 per day), it’s not enough and some cleaning company in Palmerston North employees staff on contract basisonly’• ‘Salary – increase the salary and reduce the tax’• ‘A pay rise to workers for new immigrants.’• ‘Cut GST donations to help new immigrants for settlement’• ‘Had to convert prices to perceived value.’Recognition of qualifications• ‘Getting NZQA equivalency is difficult, and even when equivalency is approved, there is still no guarantee of a job.’• ‘We have to retrain in our profession to do the same work in NZ, and even when we have trained in NZ, we cannot get jobs.’• ‘There should be a trial period when starting a new job – give time to prove their skills/profession.’• ‘Better recognition of overseas education’• ‘Get jobs in line with the level of education, ability and experience’• ‘Find job opportunities that match qualifications’• ‘Looking for jobs – it is very hard to find jobs even when we have NZ qualifications’• ‘Our skills are undervalued’• ‘Employment – difficult to find jobs – highly qualified people trained here, but can’t get jobs here, forced to go away to Aussie, leaving familybehind here suffering from emotional stress – for both. Overseas qualifications not recognised, even though we come with authentic degrees,have to go through stringent NZQA assessment process. Our English is questioned, we have to prove English language, even though wehave all our qualifications in English. It is quite demeaning and insulting to be asked to prove that. Why can’t they check and liaise withImmigration and get all those verified, what is the point of supplying same information, certification 10 times when we know all governmentministries are linked. It is just too frustrating.’Income Support• ‘Some of us still have dependent children back home - this makes it very difficult to split our resources to take care of them. When one partnergets a minimum wage job and therefore earns just over the threshold allowed by WINZ, benefits for both partners are cut and the family isactually worse off – removes incentive to independence.’• ‘When the household income increased (often temporarily and very marginally) Housing NZ immediately increased the rent and somebenefits were cut making it very difficult financially and discouraged them from trying to come off the benefit’• ‘Unsufficient re-establishment grant for couples and small family with children’• ‘Why whole benefit is cut off when one of the couple starts working?’• ‘One of my son already 18, has stop from FTC. Because of he is slow learner, it is difficult to apply student allowance. He does not get benefitfor three months. We need help’Women and Employment• ‘As a woman – equal opportunities with males in the workplace, genderequality. Government subsidised courses, for example computer course inthe UCOL.’• ‘Although these women had jobs and good qualifications in their homecountries, they can’t work or study here and feel discouraged, bored,disappointed and frustrated.’• ‘Wearing hijab – tolerance, acceptance extent and quality of interactions allcould be a concern. Wearing hijab does not give the women an opportunityto get jobs easily.’• ‘women wearing hijab find harder to find a job’SETTLING IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND FEILDINGFocus Group in progress41