Families, today, tomorrow and the future

We asked families what the key external influences are on their families today and what they think they will be in 5, 10 and 20 years time.

All the groups highlighted the importance of family and community connections, they identified many factors which influence families - these including technology, work stresses, the changing structure of families and the increasing cost of living.

For many families the impact of technology is high, families talked about he impact of social media networks, the potential for their children to be bullied and the challenges of parenting in this new age of instant and universal technology.

"These kids nowadays don’t have that same sort of whānaungatanga…I think that kids have more respect for things like Facebook and stuff than they do for their own parents.”

Many groups talked about the impact of technology on accessing services including health, finding a job, getting information and staying in touch with friends and family. It was noted that our society assumes that people have knowledge of how to use a computer and the internet and that they have access. For those families who do have knowledge and/or access to a computer and the internet, it can increase their sense of disadvantage and lead to further isolation.

The increasing cost of living was an issue which all the groups discussed at length. The rising cost of food essentials such as bread, milk, meat and fruit and vegetables has an impact on the health and wellbeing of families.

“Bread and milk used to be cheap and a good option to fill kids tummies. But now bread and milk are so expensive, our kids have to go without when hungry. No snacking, nothing after school etc.”

Some parents are keeping their children home from school because they do not have appropriate (or enough) food for their school lunches.

Many families found it difficult to consider the future beyond a few years.

“I believe the parent group came into this discussion somewhat over burdened by recent tragic events affecting all of New Zealand, the depressed economy and the uncertainty now and in the future of being able to provide adequately for their families.”

Those that did look to the future, many expressed concern about economic growth in New Zealand and most of the groups discussed the opportunities overseas which many believe more and more families will take advantage of.

“…my children wondered why we came to New Zealand, they feel China is not that bad and full of opportunities… And it is likely to happen that more and more skilled Chinese families return to China in the future.”

Families also explored the potential future impact of the current economic situation and current policies on families in the future.

“Privatisation of services will lead to gaps particularly in rural areas which are already underserviced particularly in medical area. Reducing spending to services supporting families now leads to greater cost further down the track – a real waste [both in resources and human cost]. “Why isn’t more money spent on the young now to save greater cost later?”

“Changes to apprenticeships scheme have left skills gaps. Adult education cuts mean people can’t access practical skills when they need them. This will have an impact in the future.”

The groups represent a wider range of family types and circumstances, however the challenges, issues, concerns are common to most families. At present the impact of recent natural disasters, challenging economic circumstance of the New Zealand and global economy and the impact of this in terms of rising cost of living is making it difficult for families to look too far into the future.