Corrections staff turn to food banks as fuel crisis takes toll
An internal survey by the New Zealand Corrections Association shows 14% of staff used a food bank in the past month. The Iran-driven fuel shock is squeezing household budgets.
New Zealand Corrections officers are increasingly turning to food banks to make ends meet as a fuel-cost crisis hammers household budgets, the Corrections Association told RNZ on Sunday. The union said an internal survey of 1,200 staff found roughly 14% had used a food bank in the past month, up from 4% before the Iran-driven petrol price surge that began in March.
Petrol prices in New Zealand have climbed about 30% since the start of the year, partly tracking Brent crude and partly reflecting weakness in the kiwi dollar. Many Corrections staff drive long distances to prisons such as Paremoremo and Rolleston, with fuel costs alone consuming an extra 80 to 120 dollars a week, the union estimated.
The Public Service Commission acknowledged the strain and said it would discuss an emergency allowance with the Finance Ministry. Opposition Labour leader Chris Hipkins called for the government to release more of the petrol excise reserve, while ACT and National argued long-term relief should come through tax cuts. Reserve Bank rate-cut expectations have firmed on the back of fresh cost-of-living evidence.
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