Let us help the children.

It has become an worrying trend. Ever since David Shearer announced a breakfast in school plan, something seemed out of place. Not neccessarily Labour proposing such a high spending, half constructed idea or National's ability to swiftly dismiss it as "not our fault." The idea of children going to school without breakfast in New Zealand-for all its socialist policies-is absolutely outrageous. Solely blaming parents for not managing personal finances properly cannot be the cause. Every year, statistics released point to more children arriving at school hungry and in need of a satiating meal. Her majesty Michael Cullen invented a tax system which crucified their contingency of voters; Princess Simon English has succeeded the Cullen critter by inventing an even more ridiculous tax system which continues to penalise lower income families with a higher level of GST, across the board. Meanwhile, Helen and John continue to smile as if everything is alright, when it isn't. 270,000 New Zealand children currently sit in poverty. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10835462



The biggest hurdle which prevents many families from properly addressing their financial strains is having such a repulsive tax system, creating a large dependency on handouts, or food parcels for those who cannot feed their families on what's given to them. Lower income earner currently pay 12.2 cents (including ACC levy) for every $1 of income earned up to $14,000. http://www.ird.govt.nz/how-to/taxrates-codes/itaxsalaryandwage-incometaxrates.html Assuming somebody is working for such a paltry salary, it equates to $1708 of income put into hands of politicians who inform you that to get it back, you must register for Working for families. A complete nightmare, Working for Families currently costs $2,600,000,000 (fully typed just to give you an indication), of hard working New Zealanders income, much of which is returned to the taxpayer themselves. Instead of keeping that extra $1708 of income, each person must fill out a large amount of paperwork, as well as standing in line, to receive a handout which ought not to be handed out. Labour enjoy exercising authoritarian measures when in power. National has followed on in a similar way, saying they'll give people more personal responsibility. Many parents would prefer having an extra $32 in their pocket, which is satisfactory enough to buy food to feed hungry children. Weet-Bix is $4.99 for 1kg at Countdown; Bananas $3 per kg; Homebrand jam $3.09; some Signature brand toast to put it on, $3. Young  kiwi children will never go hungry at breakfast with these basic food items in the pantry. So why doesn't Labour admit they got it wrong in overtaxing, or National admit they made a mistake in their tax system? Try put it to them. Especially Helen, John, Michael and William.

If breakfast in schools is to remain a common policy, there is nothing wrong with that. One has to take into account that many young children have parents who are largely neglectful of basic personal needs their children have. Launching the breakfast in schools plan is a sensible idea, provided each parent is paying for their child's meal, rather than the sugar daddy sitting in the hot tub. It once again comes down to personal responsibility. Many young New Zealand families struggle financially and nobody who is well off can point the finger at Pacific Islander and Maori families and say they've got is easy. Many of them work long hours on minimum wage, barely generating enough to pay for the absolute necessities in life. Providing a breakfast in schools program on a scheme which automatically deducts $10 a week from a parents income enables a child to eat a proper breakfast and gives parents a sense of empowerment that they are providing for their offspring. After all, "if kids are hungry they can't learn." http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/east-bays-courier/7736157/Providing-balance

While it is tempting to rant about the useless job the politicians, this would be a deterrent from the main focus- helping to properly nourish the future generation of New Zealand. One of the simplest ways to help is going dumpster diving. Many supermarkets, bakeries, even coffee shops throw away large amounts of good food. Much of what is retrieved can be donated towards any schools who have hungry children. For someone who is looking to be part of a more established, practical source, look no further. A brilliant scheme created by Di Celliers, has people going to backyards and orchards and picking any excess fruit which is growing on the trees. So much fruit has been collected, schools currently on the roster have been overwhelmed by how many apples, mandarins, or grapefruits they receive. The Community Fruit Harvesting, which Celliers runs, also produces an array of jams; great for the morning slice of toast. Their Facebook page can be found in the following linkhttps://www.facebook.com/pickfruit?ref=ts&fref=ts. For the more discreet, of course there are donations which can be made. Be very suspicious of any government funded plan though.

It should never have come to this. Children do not deserve to go to school hungry on account of a shambolic tax system and neglectful parents. With some steady help and an outreach from the community, the future of New Zealand will continue to enjoy a delicious breakfast.