Perhaps the most significant immediate effect is going to be worry and apprehension.
When I go for my benefit check-in or to sign on, will it work the way I’m used to?
That job I’m about to start, will the 90-day rule be back and how will that work — will I be safe?
Is my wait for social housing going to get shorter anytime soon?
Will the delay for my scan, surgery or procedure get worse or better?
When is the cost of living going to improve?
Will the "realignment" and cuts to funding of government agencies mean contract changes for providers and loss of services for clients?
And, especially for Dunedin’s providers and support agencies, does the new government understand what Dunedin needs and how we work together?
Change is stressful — it requires us to invest in learning new things, reorganisation our lives.
Almost by definition, those of us relying on social services have little room to move and the least resources to adapt to new circumstances.
It is likely that only some of the changes will arrive quickly.
The "first 100 days" can only start once a government has been formed.
A lot of Crown spending is already locked in until July next year.
Government agencies cannot just drop workstreams and create new ones overnight — that can take months.
The policy process (the detail of how to do policy promises) often shifts the final shape of whatever it is.
For many of us, change may not be noticeable for months, even a year or two.
And Dunedin has multiple MPs based here to connect with and ask for help navigating all this — Rachel Brooking in Dunedin, Ingrid Leary in Taieri, Tākuta Ferris for Te Tai Tonga and Scott Willis as a list MP based in Dunedin.
If you would like to support the mission’s work with a donation, please visit www.givealittle.co.nz and search for The Methodist Mission.
