'There are no jobs': Support services warn unemployment crisis driving rising violence
Northland has overtaken Auckland as the region recording the highest unemployment at 8.8 percent, up from 5.1 percent.
Support services in the Far North region are sounding the alarm about a rising unemployment crisis driving increasing violence and hardship among families. The unemployment rate in the area has surged to 8.8 percent, surpassing Auckland's 5.1 percent and reaching its highest level in over a decade. Northland has now overtaken Auckland as the region with the highest unemployment rate.
Organisations on the frontlines of service provision report a surge in demand for food assistance, mental health support, and family violence services as families struggle with joblessness and soaring living costs. The Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services' social supermarket, Whata Kai, received 181 referrals for help with food, rent, power bills, and other necessities alone in July.
This surge in demand for support services is attributed to the region's rural geography, which makes accessing essential services and supermarkets more challenging for many residents.
The increasing financial stress on families is causing a ripple effect, contributing to factors that lead to family harm, according to Moana Eruera, the chief executive of Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services. The organization's family violence teams are already overwhelmed with cases and are struggling to cope with the growing demand for help.
Megan Hepi, the director of community advocacy organization Nga Taonga o Kaikohe, estimates that between 7,500 and 8,000 people across Northland are currently seeking employment, while only about 600 to 700 job vacancies are available. The closure of the Juken timber mill near Kaitaia is expected to exacerbate the situation, leaving dozens of workers jobless. Young people are particularly affected, with many forced to leave the region in search of work, as their local employers cannot afford the rising costs.
Hepi emphasizes that many people seeking support genuinely want to work but cannot find employment, highlighting the stark reality that you cannot train your way out of unemployment when there are more job seekers than available jobs. She stresses that simply increasing training programs will not solve the problem, as the number of job openings remains insufficient to accommodate everyone.
Hepi calls for a more strategic approach to growing the local economy, advocating for the creation of more small businesses and the relocation of some government jobs to Northland. She believes that solutions need to be developed locally, rather than imposed from outside, with the region's unique circumstances and strengths considered in any economic development strategy.
Written by urgent.news from RNZ Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
