Open Letter to the Members of Parliament

To the Prime Minister, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Social Development, the Minister for Tertiary Education, and all Members of Parliament,

This winter, tens of thousands of students across Aotearoa are once again thrust into the impossible decision between heating their flats, or feeding themselves. This is not a matter
of budgeting or lifestyle. Rather, it is a matter of wellbeing, dignity, and fairness. The Winter Energy Payment, as it currently stands, supports some of our most vulnerable citizens. Yet it excludes one of the most financially precarious groups in our country: tertiary students. Despite facing the same rising power bills and cold, damp housing, students are left out of this essential support simply because of their age and their pursuit of education.

This exclusion is unjust.

Many students live below the poverty line. They juggle part-time work, high rent, and increasing food and transport costs. Many care for families or face additional barriers, such as disability, chronic illness, or being estranged from family support. Cold homes worsen these hardships. They make students sick, lower academic performance, and damage mental health.

Every winter, we hear stories of students wearing jackets to bed, studying under blankets, or choosing between heating their homes and eating three meals a day. The Winter Energy Payment for Students would be a simple and effective way to alleviate some of this hardship. By extending the payment to those receiving Student Allowance, Student Loan Living Costs, or enrolled full-time in tertiary education, the Government could make an immediate difference to the health, safety, and wellbeing of tens of thousands of young people.

This change would mean amending the Social Security (Winter Energy Payment) Amendment Act 2019 to include tertiary students, and the Student Allowance Regulations 1998 so that Winter Energy Payments would not be considered under the definition of personal income for the purposes of those regulations.

This call is backed by social service providers, tertiary education leaders, and students up and down the motu. It reflects a growing recognition that leaving students out in the cold is not only unfair but economically and socially short-sighted.

We urge the Government to act now. Students have been doing more with less for far too long. Students deserve warm homes, good health, and a fair go.

Don't leave students out in the cold. Extend the Winter Energy Payment to students.

Sincerely,

Josh Robinson - Campaign Lead, Winter Energy Payment for Students
Liban Ali - President, Te Aka Tauira – Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association
Aria Ngarimu and Kaea Hudson - Co-Presidents, Ngāi Tauira – Victoria University Māori Students Association
Gabriel Boyd - President, Te Rōpū Kahikatea – Auckland University Students’ Association
Eloise Fleming and Nikita Van Dijk - Co-Presidents, National Disabled Students' Association
Caitlin Payne - Senior Administrator, Te Tira Ahu Pae – Massey Students’ Association
Alicia Lemmer - President, Auckland University of Technology Students’ Association
Richard Wagstaff - President, The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Paul Goulter - CEO, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation
Social Change Collective
Lola Fisher - Co-Executive Director, Gen-Z Aotearoa
Lauren Craig and Maioha Hunt - Co-Convenors, Young Greens of Aotearoa New Zealand
Fania Kapao - President, New Zealand Young Labour