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New Zealand’s richest man, Graeme Hart, has made nearly $ 3.5 billion since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a new Oxfam analysis, Hart’s wealth has grown by $ 3,494,333,333 since March 2020, the equivalent of a $ 6,849 cash payment to more than half a million New Zealanders.
Oxfam spokeswoman Dr Joanna Spratt said it is a symptom of a broken economic model that a “lucky few” can dramatically increase their wealth while others face immense need.
“The hardships caused by the coronavirus and the destruction of the climate hit people with fewer atrocities.
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“While the super-rich amass large fortunes even in times of global crisis, essential services like health care, education and social welfare are underfunded.”
However, there are resources available to give everyone the opportunity to survive and prosper, Spratt said.
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New Zealand’s wealthiest citizen, Graeme Hart, has seen his fortune increase by nearly $ 3.5 billion since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. (File photo)
“The question is how do we distribute our resources fairly. People built this system, so we have the power to fix it. ”
Spratt said that foreign aid and home utilities in New Zealand are often compared to each other to illustrate a false point that it must be one or the other.
“If we choose not to accept such extreme inequality, then we can reprogram our economic system to create a world where everyone, here at home and abroad, can live a dignified life.
Andy Jackson / Stuff
Oxfam says leaders must shift their priorities toward building an economy that puts people first and benefits everyone.
“Oxfam and a coalition of our country’s leading aid agencies have been calling on the government to increase its foreign aid and climate finance to meet this time of unprecedented global need; However, the total amount requested to help the world’s most vulnerable people is only one-third of what Hart earned in addition to the billions he had in just ten months during the pandemic. This is not OK “.
Spratt said creating a fairer system was a matter of political leaders having the courage to tame excess wealth and build a “human economy” that benefits all.
“We must shift our priorities toward building an economy that puts people first, a human economy where wealth is no longer so concentrated in the hands of the lucky few and everyone has access to basic services like health care and health. education, in and around New Zealand. the world.”
