Address to the Palmerston North Community Services Council Annual General Meeting
21 August 1998

• There is no such thing as community, there are only individuals

• Self interest is the primary and only legitimate motivating force

• Anything that interferes with this, eg governments or unions, distorts market signals and dampens enthusiasm.

• All relationships are best dealt with on a 'market' basis ie the competitive, contractual model.

This is about an integrated, holistic, co-operative approach.

In this, each component or aspect is separated off into independent, competing units. Initially there is a core which connects these, administers them, controls them. This is later removed so that the components act independently and freely. Any aspects that resided with the 'core' are lost, including the holistic approach and the organisational values.

This approach is being applied to government and local authorities including their functions, and many community groups are forced to adopt this model because of funding requirements.

In health, service, health and caring aspects are lost; in education, the concept of education and learning, and in the universities, the storehouse of knowledge aspect, independent and long-term research and the 'critic' of society. In general many cracks and gaps appear in the provision of services and risk taking and the development of new ideas become very difficult.

Is to 'reinvent' and minimise government and 'free' the economy.

This is done by:

• selling off or giving away public assets

• under-funding services and activities. This is a major plank in the privatisation process

• contracting out operations and service provision

• privatising the provision of services

• income tax cuts

• Removing policy making from the political arena with Super Acts; eg Reserve Bank Act, Public Finance Act, Fiscal Responsibility Act

• Privatise the public health system by the year 2000

• Abolish publicly funded services by the year 2010

• national indebtedness is very high and rising including the Current Account deficit

• High and growing proportion of New Zealand owned and controlled from overseas. (It is not possible for personal savings to compensate for the export of profits from such companies as Telecom)

• There is a widening gap between the rich and the rest, and a great gap between the rich and the poor.

• Access to public health services, particularly the hospital system is becoming very limited and restricted. (96,000 waiting to see a specialist for the first time and surgery waiting lists so long they have been abolished. The Feilding Herald reported the story, a common one, of the effects of understaffing in the main maternity unit - bloodied toilets, use own paper, areas not cleaned, look after self, including drips.)

• The level of student debt is massive. It has been suggested that this will change the culture in New Zealand from one of home ownership to one of renting, there will be more profit to be made.

• 30% of the workforce is now in temporary work

• about 20% of all families and 33% of all children live below the internationally accepted poverty line. The level for Maori and Pacific Islanders is double these figures.

One such programme in the States is based on the recognition that relationships between people are the basis for change. The programme sets up activities that will contribute to a people based community eg literacy, building materials recycling, and uses every contact made through these activities to build relationships.

They seek to build a common culture based on love and respect for each other, respecting the strengths and purposes of the many individuals and the different neighbourhoods. They seek to stimulate the fullest expression of the personality, creativity and talents of the people in their community. The end point is the provision of a healthy, sustainable, social and physical environment.

The members of the core group see their strengths as: themselves and each other; their purpose and vision; their resources, within themselves and all around them and their honesty and integrity.

How many of us can say that is what our people and our organisations are about?

Sustainable Economic Development supports the economic needs of families and communities, now and in the future in ways that are equitable to all segments of society; within the limits of ecological systems, and accountable to democratic processes.

Is an organisation that is two years old. It is developing an infrastructure for community economic development. It is a coalition of coalitions, bringing the single issue groups together. This year it held its second general Assembly

• Union Cities are declared where all the unions work together to rebuild the union movement and presence

• All groups in a sector form an alliance to create real jobs eg in the garment industry in New York, an alliance between the unions, employer associations and public sector to form the NY Garment Industry Development Corporation

• Minimum and living wage Charters adopted at the city and county level. These apply to all companies with contracts from the local authority

• High Road Development Campaigns and Charters.

• Ethical Investment and Ethical business/trading organisations

• Community Economic Development Organisations

• Ecomat, which uses a non-toxic drycleaning process, thus creating healthy jobs.

• Worker-owned home-care service

• Quick Oil Change franchises for Polytech graduates in mechanics etc.

• house construction - they are taking control of this

• Nursery factory for arts and crafts workers

• Child care provision

• Workfare workers Association has been sponsored. This campaigns for real jobs and their rights as workers.

• Local Trading systems

• Sustainability projects

• Community Sustaining Funds

The Guardians (2 - 3 people) shadow each Judge day and night to track how they are 'bought', and by whom. Some are now in gaol. They are also challenging the banking system via the law. The White (T-shirt) Army blocks foreclosures on properties by the banks.

Richard Douthwaite, Irish economist (visited NZ last year) is involved with the establishment of local currencies in four areas - two rural - two Counties in Ireland and rural Scotland, and two urban communities, in Madrid and Amsterdam. The project is supported by the European Union.

E-mail on the MAI (Multi-lateral Agreement on Investments (no controls and no discrimination on capital); on social justice (PQ List and others); against privatisation

Videos. Particularly the new one on "Underfunding" and how it has been used in the campaign to privatise the health system.

National conferences: on Social Responsibility, Globalisation and the MAI; Anti-Privatisation*; CCANZ Networking for Social Justice.

Community Defence Networks - to occupy public facilities in danger of being privatised or sold off, to raise public awareness, support the workers and stop the process.

The Hikoi of Hope which offers people from throughout the country the opportunity to demonstrate their concern about the rising levels of poverty and the changes to our society and economy that are causing this. This has the feel of being the greatest happening in our generation. Lets help make it so. Further information is available on the Hikoi web site: www.hikoi.anglican.org.nz

In studies carried out in the US and elsewhere in the world the greatest concerns people have about the future are the same:

• the impact of greed and selfishness - 90% of people

• the deterioration of the environment 86%

• Stress on families 81%

This includes:
   environmentalism, social justice, feminism, global issues and spiritual searching.

Those who have these concerns are part of the mainstream.

* Papers available from the Anti-Privatisation Conference

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