Paula Bennett

Blah blah blah

Edited by BuzzyBee

Edited by BuzzyBee

wow $330 a week I don't know how someone would manage on that thats a little under what our mortgage repayments are.

I also don't think $550 is a lot either especially with 3 children I had a look on trademe at rentals in Hamilton and even a 2 bedroom house you are looking at around $250 a week then there is food phone power and I would have to say bye bye to broadband as I would probably only be able to afford dial up at $9.95 a month with 1 phone line


I am fortunate that my husband earns a fairly decent salary would be nice if it was more .but I tell you what give me his income over these ladies any day.

BuzzyBee wrote: This topic is close to home for me, I'm a solo mother currently receiving the DPB and I have a few things I'd like to point out. The women involved in this case are on the higher receiving end for benefits! I get WELL UNDER $500 p/week (and no I'm not going to be anymore specific than that, just because you pay taxes DOES NOT MEAN my personal business should be available for all in sundry to read). My ren t is 280 + water on top of that weekly, then power, groceries, petrol, home phone (dirt cheap dial up included), regular medications and drs/specialists appts, health and contents insurance - you get my gist. The list goes on and on, we get paid weekly and the day AFTER I literally end up with about $15-20 left to live on for 6 days after I have done our groceries. It is NOT an ideal lifestyle but if I was to go out and get a job (which in the current economic state is not an easy task atm) I'd be lucky to earn as much, let alone more than I do living on the DPB. And then add childcare costs onto the list and I am better off remaining on the benefit and making the most of staying at home with my son, simple really. As it is My Dad is having to pitch in to help us more often than I'm comfortable with, as he was saying a few days back it's actually costing him MORE having us live in our own place in comparison to when we were boarding with my parents! Some weeks (ie. when I have to pay big bills, or something crops up) he is having to buy us grocieres. I'm budgeting, my father is a bank manager ffs - we are simply living on the bare minimum ...and since I only have up to 6th form school cert I wouldn't be able to get a job that could pay me much more than minimum wage. So please before you all go sitting there and bunching 'all solo mothers' into the same category, please take into consideration that these ladies 'incomes' are NOT the norm, they clearly have other entitlements and benefits added on top of the normal dpb and accomodation costs etc. And doesn't the $750 lady have three children, one with Autism (or some medical condition which means she would get financial assistance for that too) ...bigger house would be needed which means higher rent ...therefore more financial assistance with this and the list goes on. The Training Incentive Allowance wasn't just generally to help with course costs, it was moreso financial aide for childcare and travel costs ...as well as materials for course, help towards fees etc. As far as I'm aware MOST single mothers/beneficiaries that chose to study still ended up having to take out a studen loan of some kind because $3000 a year is obviously not enough to cover full costs of most diploma's/degrees/courses. In a lot of posts above I definitely started to sense the 'we/them' demeanour, just because someone receives income/benefit from government; and your a taypayer does not make you the superior. I certainly can't speak for all single mums, but my kid comes first and foremost, he will NEVER go without his needs always being met, whether it bloody kills me! Chances are he is even better cared for, more loved and appreciated than some kids that come from a two working parent family. And back to original post, no it's not acceptable the way Paula Bennett has dealt with this matter, it is a breach of privacy (despite what some of you 'taxpayers' seem to think and claim). Sure they put themselves out there, speaking up about something that was going to effect them somewhat, still doesn't give anyone the right (don't give a sh!t who they are or what their job title is) to go and publicly announce details of their income. Right think I've said enough.

well said buzzy bee yep im nother one of those people relly people give us single mums a brake its not like we walked into this on purpose and its not easy rasing child on your own. how many post do we get on here about "how will i cope while my hubby is away" haha relly people

james wrote
"well said buzzy bee yep im nother one of those people relly people give us single mums a brake its not like we walked into this on purpose and its not easy rasing child on your own. how many post do we get on here about "how will i cope while my hubby is away" haha relly people"

After reading through most of the replies on here I don't think anyone is trying to put all solo mums into a box but rather saying that these 2 ladies in particular have kind of asked for there "private" business to be put out there, that is just what happens when you take anything to the media. Yes solo mums do get put into a box sometimes but in reality I think we all know that being a parent is hard work, and doing it on your own is even harder, but lets not get personal and petty. Making a snarky comment about coping while DH's are away is below the belt, I cannot help that I am in a stable relationship and that I am going to miss my DH while he is away, and I would never expect that here on OhBaby I would be criticised for asking for suggestions as to how to cope, doing it on your own is hard work no matter what the circumstances.

I also think its fair to point out that just because you have a partner and an income does not mean that things are always easier, and it is just as common for those of us who are not on the DPB or likewise to be put into the bracket of "having it easy" but this so often not the case, we all have things we have to deal with that we would rather not.

This whole thing just goes to prove one thing "Money IS the root of all evil" and brings out the worst in people.

Edited by HeidisMum

I guess the issue at this current time with what these women are complaining about.
Is that there are a lot of families working and earning a lot less than these women are getting, and not getting any assistance from the govt.
Its not about being a taxpayer, its about working damn hard to support your family and getting a lot less than these women and having to manage without a benefit.
I think some people find it a bit rich that they're complaining about $28 a week, when they are financially better off than a lot of others.
Not all solo mum's are on the benefit, so why should these women who are get special treatment?

I agree with HeidisMum, It seems like a few people are being overly defensive when I don't think anyone here has personally criticised anyone else. The discussion has been around Paula Bennett and the two women, not about ourselves.

It seems people are reading things into comments that aren't actually there. If you think people seem superior or are judging you then I think that is more of a self esteem issue than anything. We're all different, come from different places, are in different family and financial situations, that's what makes a good debate, let's not make it personal!

I thought we were all just talking about these 2 particular women?
*ducks for cover*

Peanut wrote: james, I personally think your comments are uncalled for. At no point in this discussion has anyone personally attacked solo mums on this site (there may have been implied things or things that can be taken personally, as there is in any thread!). Anyone has the right to complain about their situation on here, at no point is anyone saying there situation is better or worse than the next persons. I personally struggle at the moment when my partner is away as I am not use to doing it alone. I have full respect to solo mums who do it on their own 24/7 but still expect respect from them for the job that I do with my child.

But it has been attacking solo mums weather it was the two that came out or anyone on here this is real life and people will take things personly. As you took my comment personaly yet i never named you

BuzzyBee wrote: LittleSal I was referring to comments on earlier pages where people were stating that since they are taxpayers, they think they are entitled to finding out personal information of those who receive benefits etc. When I was a taxpayer I never once stopped to think about or query where my taxes were going, but that it was in capable hands and the govt. has its notions in place to delegate the money where needed/required, and it was going to those who probably needed it more than me. And that wasn't what my post was based on, I was merely trying to put things into perspective, people are making preconceived misconceptions based on the information that Paula has released, not every solo mum on DPB earns those particular amounts Comments along the lines of 'wish I could sit at home and be paid $500' etc etc go to suggest people think that $550 and $750 are the norm.

These were the comments I was relating to also, I don't usually get offended but it sort of gets my back up when people harp on about 'my money and my tax money and I pay taxes'. Good for you! It still doesn't give you any more rights than the rest of us when it comes to privacy. and it's not a self-esteem issue on my side of the fence, as I have great self esteem, and being on a benefit doesn't bring that down like some might assume.   And yes being a mum is bloody hard whether you're on your own or you have a husband, and I apologise to anybody that I have offended because that wasn't my intention but like James said, you try walking in the shoes of a solo parent, it's hard enough without feeling we owe you our soul because you indirectly put the food on our table!