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Summarised by Centrist
One in four New Zealanders aged 15 to 19 – about 23 per cent – are not in work, education, or training, according to Duncan Garner’s latest podcast.
Garner called it “a ticking time bomb” and warned of a looming lost generation trapped in doomscrolling, welfare dependency, and disengagement.
Garner noted that early welfare interaction leads to long-term dependency: “When someone interacts with welfare then they’ll stay on or interact with welfare for the next 22 years.” He argued that young people should face tougher expectations, similar to Australia’s work-for-the-dole rules after one year on benefits.
Vocational expert Tina Akuhata, who has worked extensively in Australia and New Zealand, said the real problem runs deeper than policy design: “We’ve been too lefty. Government dependency has become a way to redistribute the country’s wealth rather than building skills and social mobility.”
Akuhata said Australia handles young jobseekers differently: “If they weren’t doing something, they weren’t getting their benefits,” she explained. In Australia, young people must be engaged in 25 hours of work, education, or training each week to qualify for welfare.
Both Garner and Akuhata warned that without serious reform, New Zealand risks creating a permanent underclass. “We can’t just sit and let this cohort rot,” Garner said. “Work is the answer. Work changes lives.”
