Think Pieces

By Ian Hutson In Aotearoa New Zealand, more than 43 percent of people released from prison return within two years, and almost two‑thirds (59.2%) reoffend, highlighting the urgent need for effective reintegration strategies that support people to build stable, crime‑free lives upon release. Successful reintegration requires ensuring that people return...

If you know where to look in many towns and cities around Aotearoa New Zealand, you will see homeless people—on the streets, in cars and tents, in parks and areas in and around town. In fact, very often you don’t need to look very hard. There is no more visceral...

Governments are often criticised as being overly intrusive in people’s lives and taxing people excessively, while still being inefficient at providing community services. This leads to calls for small government, lowering taxes and handing over the running of things to private enterprise, in the hope of reducing the influence and...

Last month, we were privileged to host 15 Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum as they visited Corps and Centres across the country. These visits offered a valuable opportunity to showcase the incredible work of our frontline staff, advocate for whānau we support, and explore how we can...

Sometimes when I hear news items, in my head I am going “hang on a moment” – because what is being said does not sound quite right. I had a “hang on a moment” situation a few weeks ago when the Minister of Social Development put out a press release...

Did you know there is no such thing as "Pacific People"? This term, a Western-created category of convenience, fails to capture the vastness and diversity of the Pacific region, which spans over 25,000 islands scattered across the largest ocean on Earth. Covering a third of the planet’s surface, each island...

Some problems we face as a society are so important, that the only ethical thing to do is resolve them, even if that seems impossible. Our levels of child poverty are one of these problems. The goal of the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit of the Salvation Army is the...

In Aotearoa we are proud of our democracy—the idea of ‘one person one vote’. It is the very essence of an equal and fair society. For the most part it is good but, as Winston Churchill once said, ‘democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other...

What a roller coaster of a year 2023 was! Major weather events devastating many communities around Aotearoa; many homes were damaged beyond repair and roads were closed cutting off communities. Many families were also made homeless, impacting local and national economies. Cost-of-living pressures have been affecting many families. Foodbanks have...