It has been three days since the government dropped the Tertiary student support package as part of their Covid-19 response. Instead of this package being met with gratitude, relief, positivity or thanks, it was met with negativity, spite, and bitching from the student masses. But we, as students, remain far better off than the rest of the world and ought to keep that in perspective.
Many students are saying that the package is not enough, is a joke, and that this means the government doesn’t care about students. In reality, I believe that the Government is doing the best for us that they can, while juggling every other demographic and various sectors in New Zealand. The point of a government is to govern and assist, not babysit and throw money at you.
The purpose of the package is to assist students financially, specifically so that they can continue their education despite the huge and swift move to studying online during Covid-19. The package boosts course related costs to $2000 instead of the usual $1000 which can be used to pay for power, internet and other educational resources. Students still receive their weekly StudyLink payments, and those who cannot continue their studies for whatever reason are still able to receive these payments for up to eight weeks. If your course has been discontinued due to Covid-19, you will receive a partial tuition fee refund. Furthermore, should you not be able to continue your course, your entitlement to fees free or further student loans will not be affected. Students who work are also able to claim the wage subsidy package from their employer, and the Ministry of Social Development has emergency funds available for those who really need it.
The majority of students have gone home, and each night will eat dinner with their family and go to bed in a warm, dry house. Some chose to stay in Dunedin which yes, may be more of a struggle given how empty and lonely it feels. But nonetheless, your StudyLink is still coming through week after week, the same StudyLink that you’ve been living off for however many years, and now you have the ability to get a little more money, should you need it. You are still going to bed every night with a roof over your head, in a safe city, with help available should you require it. Yes, being in isolation, away from your friends and out of routine isn’t really the most ideal situation. But it’s not the most ideal situation for literally every single person on the planet.
Now is not the time for grouches and grumbles about yet another support package, which is just one of the many other packages the government has issued in aims to keep all New Zealanders afloat during this time. Because, guess what, everyone has it tough right now and money doesn’t fucking grow on trees. The Government has to play a careful balancing act with how much they distribute and when, because we inevitably will face an economic and financial crisis once this is all over, and we need to make sure we can somehow soften the blow. Jacinda and Grant don’t have some big fuck off load of cash sitting in a vault somewhere in the Beehive to dish out to students who would, for the most part, probably be more than happy to blow their course related costs on alcohol and travel any other time of the year. That’s not how it works. And the last thing the country, in fact, the whole world needs right now is more sobs, sniffles and sorrows. Especially from a young demographic such as ourselves which claims to be the most tolerant, caring, politically correct generation yet.
Because we live in New Zealand and it can often feel like a place which is disconnected from the rest of the world, we need to remember to put things into perspective. We are too far away and in our own little bubble to really acknowledge or truly understand what is going on in other places, especially when it comes to measuring the magnitude of this crisis.
So while you sit here and complain about your online classes, which your lecturers bend over backwards for, there are people who do not have access to education.
While you are going stir crazy about having to stay at home all day, there are doctors, nurses and supermarket workers who risk their lives to keep things going for you.
While you lay in bed at night, there are people shovelling dead bodies into morgues across Europe.
While you eat dinner with your family or flatmates, there are people dying in the United States because they cannot afford healthcare.
While you sit here with the ability to take out more money should you need it, there are small business owners declaring bankruptcy.
While you sit here complaining the government or the university did not ‘do enough,’ remember no one saw this coming. At least not to this extent. This is unprecedented.
Your parents have lost their jobs or taken pay cuts but are still finding a way to look after their home and family.
This issue is bigger than us as students, and bigger than us as a country. Instead of going up in arms about what isn’t there, or what’s missing, we should put things in perspective. We need to recognise that many of us just have to look after ourselves as individuals, we aren’t running a business or carrying the responsibility of an entire family. We are sole individuals who should have self responsibility and try our best to be sufficient. This package is not meant to be our one saviour that we have to rely on for every single necessity in our lives. It is simply some assistance. It’s a temporary solution to a temporary problem. We should be thankful for the steps our Government has taken, as we are much better off than a majority of other people and places in the wake of Covid-19.
*Disclaimer: Annabelle is an active member of Southern Young Labour, but this opinion is her own and is not affiliated with the party.