40 lines
No EOL
2.9 KiB
Text
40 lines
No EOL
2.9 KiB
Text
New Zealand's capital, Wellington, has been ranked one of the least affordable
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cities in the world for buying a property. The picture is also grim for renters,
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with a 12% rise in prices in the past year. That, along with increases in petrol
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and food prices, has led many to consider moving to nearby Australia -
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where they have the right to live and work.
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Chris, a builder, his partner Harmony and their four daughters recently left
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Wellington to start a new life in the Australian city of Brisbane.
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Despite owning their home and earning reasonable salaries, they were still struggling.
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"We have four kids, so it was expensive. We'd notice Australians saying you know the
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cost of living is going up - but that was the cost five years ago in New Zealand,"
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says Chris. Leaving New Zealand and the rest of her family was a
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difficult decision for Harmony. But she says the move was necessary for the children.
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"You can't make a living in New Zealand. There is no living. You just go backwards.
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You don't get a choice if you want to live, you have to move, or
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New Zealand has to change. I want a future for my children and there
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is none in New Zealand," she says. The New Zealand government has tried
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to increase some short-term measures like fuel subsidies and halving the cost
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of public transport - but for many, it's not enough.
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In Brescia, Italy, steel runs through the veins of the community.
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In the past 15 years the industry has endured the financial crash and
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the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, with the war in Ukraine and Covid lockdowns in China,
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trade is being disrupted further. Mirella and Lucas met at a cast iron
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foundry in Brescia. Their two steady wages are up against rising food, petrol
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and energy costs. "With regard to electricity, we have recently suffered
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like everyone else. Our bill has doubled - even though we are never at home",
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says Mirella. "We are tightening our belts. Instead of saving a lot,
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you'll save less," says Lucas. Orders at this cast iron foundry continue.
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But a crucial source of raw materials from the south-eastern Ukrainian city of
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Mariupol are in now short supply, after Russian troops occupied the region.
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Mark Impraim owns a catering business in Ghana - one of the most expensive
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countries to live in, in Africa. He shops for ingredients for one of his most
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popular dishes -jollof rice - at a local market. But prices have doubled
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in recent months. Mark looks at a bucket of tomatoes, dismayed at the price tag.
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"[This box of tomatoes] used to be 20 cedis. Now it's going for 40," he says.
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"I should double the price of the food I serve, but that would scare away customers.
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I try to find a way around it by decreasing the quantity."
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Among other rising costs eating into Mark's weekly budget is a supply
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of drinking water. Sachets of water have increased in price twice in four months,
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due to the devaluation of the cedi.
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Water suppliers say passing the costs on to customers is unavoidable. |