Pacific people in Wairarapa feeling the pinch from cost of living and service cuts

Pacific communities in New Zealand's Wairarapa region are grappling with significant financial pressures, exacerbated by the rising cost of living and recent cuts to social support services. This strain is acutely felt by frontline social workers, many of whom are Pacific people facing their own financial challenges.

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There's a lot of Pasifika in our clients, struggling with mental health, struggling with addiction as well.

Kalolaine Tulia, a Tongan mother of six working as a Whānau Support Worker and Mental Health Worker in Masterton, observes a high prevalence of mental health and addiction issues among her Pacific clients. She notes that many clients struggle to understand their eligibility for support and face a lack of available funding. "There's not a lot of funding that's coming through to help, because there's a lot of cuts," Tulia stated.

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Some of them doesn't really understand what that they are actually capable of or qualify for, and then not only that, but there's not a lot of funding that's coming through to help, because there's a lot of cuts.

Tulia dedicates her efforts to helping clients manage their budgets and navigate life without succumbing to mental health crises. However, agency funding cuts have stretched resources thin, leaving only two workers to cover the Wairarapa region. "There will be a lot of people who will be missing out for her from our services because there's not enough people to cover that," she warned.

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There will be a lot of people who will be missing out for her from our services because there's not enough people to cover that.

Adding to the personal strain, Tulia is a solo parent raising six children after her husband's death. While she receives some support from Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) based on her part-time hours, she largely relies on herself to provide for her family. Her situation exemplifies the broader challenges faced by Pacific individuals working on the social frontlines in Wairarapa, who are themselves feeling the impact of economic hardship.

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You try to navigate life without having to step on other people's toes, and you've got to be more like reliant on yourself to do all what you can do to provide for your children.