Write of Group One

As a group we discussed many issues that were raised throughout the day. The following summary is how I remember it (that is to say, others may have remembered the discussion differently).

1. Several issues arose around the aging population and the need for and the increased ability to work:

• The 'young old' for example those in their sixties, would increasingly become responsible for looking after their elderly parents. This group however, are also likely to have increased pressures on them to continue in paid employment to meet their own financial needs. For us this may translate into an increased need to work longer to fulfil our financial needs and an increase in the amount of unpaid work in terms of caring for own parents.
• The unavailability of people in their sixties to help look after grandchildren may also have implications for the ability of women to work. Family have been a source of cheap/free childcare enabling women to enter the work force. This may make it even more difficult for women with children to participate in paid employment placing financial hardship on themselves and their children.

2. The need to redefine work:

• Many of the discussions linked work with income. In this sense then we need to reconsider what it means to work and the value of work.
• Many things are done in the home that are unpaid and unrecognised in our society or in GDP terms. The implications this has for single parents has been the 'welfare to work' schemes.
• There is a lot of 'work' that is not being performed that would have a societal benefit but has no market (for example gorse cutting).

3. Creating Employment for New Zealanders:

• We believed that generating employment is complex and required the efforts of central government, regional government and citizens.
• Central Government need to focus on rebuilding our infrastructure to enable employment creation.
• Local government need to foster community and economic development
• Individually we can buy locally made goods and services to both help generate income and to retain our own income within our regions. Additionally, both central and local governments can buy New Zealand made (goods and services) and Local government can employ local citizens particularly for civic duties. Hamilton City Council contracts out the rubbish collection and the Rates Billings to Auckland firms.

4. The Universal Benefit Entitlement:
• All citizens ought to be entitled to an income!

5. Rebuild communities. We viewed that the creation of 'individuality' around neoliberal ideals needed to be addressed and the recreation of a sense of community and commitment to each other is required. Or at least a place where we can express our sense of community.

6. What we would do if we were given money to create jobs:

• Nothing - keep teaching.
• Look for social entrepreneurs who have the imagination to create work.
• Set up a committee of paid people to think about creating employment.
• Emphasise people not money - look towards the community to help generate employment through buying and supplying locally.
• Match employers and schools - help generate alliances between the potential employers and employees.
• Trial a UBI in an area to see if it will generate jobs and the best way to target the UBI to generate jobs.
• Create local currencies that goods and services made within the local area can be traded with.