Research

My small family, single 53-year-old mother and 11-year-old daughter are massively isolated. We have no friends. We have no-one we can rely upon. We have no support. There does not seem to be any action we can undertake with the resources we have access to, to change that. As a parent it is heartbreaking to see your child so lonely and vulnerable and have no way to help. We try to stay positive and practice gratitude. Some days that works, other days it really does not.

My debilitating severe illness, lack of medical care and lack of support services. Left to rot away in my room.

My mental health suffered [due to lack of support for caring for elderly mother], I’d be out the back all the time crying because there was no one to talk to. They finally paid me for one hour in the morning and one hour at night, at $14.25 per hour. She didn’t have any language.

Those students who have difficulty with reading, those students who come to school and have no understanding of reading and writing, they either become the class clown or opt out or have high anxiety. There’s not a lot going on for those students.

The difficulty of dealing with a system that requires membership of a few clearly identified health conditions before being eligible for needed support.

Getting heard, being able to tell someone what happened [sexual assault] and get that confirmation that you’ve been heard. That’s half the healing. There wasn’t and that’s why she couldn’t heal.

It was very mix [of good and bad experiences at school], if you don’t speak the language. You try to blend in, you don’t have support. No parents, no friends.

For me personally, I longed for guidance. Just ever for everyday living stuff. Teachers are really limited, because they’re limited to the curriculum that they have to stick to. Just because you’re a parent, doesn’t mean you can be a good guide for a child. Some [children] might get heaps of information, and some might not get any. I honestly feel like I got pretty much zero guidance.

If you only get given 2.5 hours per week [disability assistance], then you can't get out of the house.

I used to go to boarding school, and when I came home, I was the total stranger. Belonging is being able to identify with and belong to. Doesn’t have to be somebody the same as you.

With young people, it’s one of the big deals. Youth development is belonging, is that sense of connection. Being connected to an adult who gives you constant loving support.

Few times where I couldn't really get somewhere I wanted to go to or join group - because it was too difficult to get there.

Health system is broken. I went for my 5-yearly checkup, and there was not a single seat in waiting room, I had to stand [for a long time]. No airflow in waiting room, it’s hot and stifling. Waiting times are so long. Nurses are overworking and one day a nurse collapsed at work from overwork.

A lot of departments are assuming people have Internet connections and access to computer. We don’t have internet services for all of those small communities. Leaves out a lot of people.

Power line problems; proposed power plant (on hydro) got canned because (the plan for creating a) river diversion, etc. was not allowed.

Disability sector - there is no disability support service here. There’s access to services outside of Queenstown. There was something being developed in Alexandra that we might try. Air NZ cut out our flights in and out of Westport - why? For profit reasons.

I think there is no understanding for government agencies about the level of skill required to access support, to fill out computer forms, to access assistance.

The family they were coming to see [to do a risk assessment] were young, and they [ie the professionals] were older. These younger people didn’t know anything. The professionals should have invited an advocacy for the younger people, the power was with the professionals. You could see that they were struggling.

We are afraid when a letter from anywhere (WINZ, IRD) comes – don’t understand it or what is supposed to be done. Kids can translate for parents, but for the households who don’t have kids, they can’t understand letters and what needs to be done.

Lack of knowledge about the [Court] system and how things work here, put them in difficulties.

I think government agencies– there’s a lot to be done. People accessing financial support, it’s very difficult. For people with low levels of English, so difficult to access interpreters. When you are talking about accessing support, incredibly difficult to do that in English if that is your second language.

And having sensitive conversations [with refugees] and identifying what conversations to do and how to do it, and how to bring that conversation. Some normalized behaviour for them is a shock here in NZ. Same with legal system around the police. When police would come to do presentations for refugees in first weeks, the refugees would try to give them money, because they are so used to bribing the police. And the trust too, they often don’t trust police.

I can relate to that, recently I’ve switched countries, been a student, had surgery and recovery. Trying to navigate those forms from Work & Income, they’re just horrendously frustrating. I’m not an idiot and I can’t do this. They don’t make it easy. They’re doing well and are supporting people. There was a form for Covid-19, there was a form you could apply for assistance. They wrote back on “how we can help”. There was a form and I got an 18-year-old to help. [MSD is saying:] “We can help you but you need to go to IRD”, but the IRD website is shut for a week. So there’s nothing I can do. I just give up. Those are frustrations, there are barriers that I wouldn’t ordinarily have to face.

Most of the people with disabilities don’t know what’s out there.

In 2000 when I arrived in here, I didn’t know anyone except church. There were no community services. My friends would need to drive me and the kids. Unlike now we got help from the community. I didn’t know anything about the country, the food, nothing. I just learn it from friend, I don’t know what to cook, I’d keep ringing my friend to ask them.

I think it’s a case of not knowing with people who are sitting lonely.

I didn't know anything about my own organisation until I worked there. Our parents registered us, but I didn’t know that. You’re in my own town, you’re my tribe, I didn’t know you were there, I didn’t know there were grants or anything.

I remember that when we came, we were given brochure and flyers, with some information, for the community, they also gave us the list. When you are in a new environment, then your mind is digesting lots of information, so we forget about it. Some people don’t like papers. They just throw it away. With the visas and then entering the country, there was a bluish thing.