1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: Now the Greens have surveyed four hundred x Pact kiwi's 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: and they say they've found eighty two percent of them 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: are so worried about their student loan debt they're not 4 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: coming home for Christmas. Seventy one percent of kiwis overseas 5 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: with student debt are overdue on their repayments. Lawrence shu 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 1: Nan is the Green Party's overseas New Zealander's spokesperson, Lawrence 7 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: Good afternoon, Oh killer, Ryan, How did you survey them? 8 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 2: So we send out basically a form for people to 9 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 2: various I guess various people overseas, with a special focus 10 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 2: in UK and Australia because those other areas the two 11 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 2: regions that has most of our New Zealanders being overseas. 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 2: And then we collated some of these information and package 13 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 2: into a report. But a lot of the data that 14 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: you're seeing that you mentioned before, in terms of seventy 15 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 2: one percent of obviously student loan borrowers with overdue payment 16 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 2: actually from education counts. That's something that's from our own 17 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 2: domestic and official data. 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: But your survey, how do you find these people overseas? 19 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: Are they Green boaters? Are they on your mailing list. 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 2: No, we've actually used in many cases, as we see 21 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 2: with other things, we use social media to reach out 22 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 2: to people and to say that this is something that 23 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 2: we're conducting. So it's very much we're trying our best 24 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 2: to make sure that it is as independent as possible. 25 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: Okay, and what do you want to happen? I mean 26 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: eighty two percent of Kiwi's worried about this, so worried 27 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: about this student loan debt. They're not coming home for Christmas? 28 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: What do we do with that information? 29 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 2: I think the main thing with the report is that 30 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 2: we have identified an issue and now we're asking for 31 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 2: a non parlatan solution to it as an inquiry to 32 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 2: the Solidt Committee. 33 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: Right, is it a problem that they're not coming home? 34 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 2: Well? I think anyone who you know, obviously New Zealanders 35 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 2: that if they want to be reunited with their families 36 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 2: and with their parents and their loved ones in Autio 37 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: in New Zealand, they should absolutely pay their dis well 38 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 2: for a lot of them, as you seeing the report, 39 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 2: that it's sometimes outside of their own control why the 40 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 2: debt actually accrued and also it's you know, expanded to 41 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 2: such an extent. 42 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: How is what proportion of them reported that that was 43 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: out of their control, the fact that they got the. 44 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 2: Debt, I think in terms of film of the data 45 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 2: that you saw and also our official data that we 46 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: have ballooned in terms of our longt. 47 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: No, sorry, just coming back, sorry, line's just coming back 48 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: to that point because I think it's important. 49 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 2: One. 50 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: You've said that there are people who have got the 51 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: debt because it's out and it's out of their control 52 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: that they have got the debt. What exactly about it 53 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: was out of their control? 54 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,399 Speaker 2: Part of that is a couple of this is why 55 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 2: they were asking for inquiry, because theres a number of loopholes. 56 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 2: Number one, one of the things we look at is 57 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 2: the fact that sometimes when they're going overseas, they didn't 58 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 2: realize or couldn't pay for a small amount of loan 59 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 2: that they have, but over time it compounded in terms 60 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 2: of arrears and now it comes becomes after twenty years 61 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 2: something that becomes unaffordable. That's one perspective. The other perspective, 62 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 2: so they simply are not they didn't by I idea, 63 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 2: they have a loan. 64 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: Did they tell them where their address was? You know, 65 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: then where they've moved to. I mean, there'll be people 66 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: listening to this line. So just think this is absolute 67 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: clap trap. And these people got it did They went 68 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: overseas because they didn't want to pay it back and 69 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: now they don't want to come home for Christmas and 70 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 1: that's their own fault. Why should we care? 71 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 2: I think I think that's also an unfair analysis in 72 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 2: some ways, because you know, there's no data to actually 73 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 2: also say that people who have a crusague that don't 74 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 2: want to pay it off, you'll find that in you know, 75 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 2: a lot. 76 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: Of the data speaks for itself. If they wanted to 77 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: pay it off, they would. I mean, are they overseas poor? 78 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 2: You know? 79 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: Are they homeless overseas? Or are they going to the pub. 80 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 2: For some of they're genuinely is Hutcheon. So one of 81 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 2: the ones we have god is someone who couldn't vence 82 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 2: university here, moved to Australia because of domestic violence and 83 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 2: homelessness and then trying to find a job and then 84 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 2: they didn't realize that their debt would be increased to 85 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 2: the certain extent. Also, bearing that we have this fantasy 86 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 2: that people who are going overseas are often going to 87 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 2: places which have better you know, salaries, et cetera. Whereas 88 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: you get people who simply going overseas wanting to expand 89 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 2: their horizon and then do something different and you learn 90 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,719 Speaker 2: different skills, and those people from Cambodia, from Hungary don't 91 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 2: necessarily earn the same amount as if we do here 92 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 2: in Altiroo on New Zealand. 93 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: So why would you move? 94 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 2: Because frankly, there's simply isn't enough job here. And this 95 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:27,919 Speaker 2: is one of the reasons why this is such a 96 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 2: crucial issue. We're currently at a nine year high for 97 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 2: unemployment and we're going to be seeing more and more 98 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 2: young people, and these are young people with extremely high 99 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 2: student dead You know, if you talk to young people today, 100 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 2: a number of them will have that easily over five 101 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 2: hundred or over fifty thousand dollars, and they are going 102 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 2: to be slapped with an increase in terms of sting 103 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 2: along an increase in terms of the areas and the 104 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,480 Speaker 2: long the interest rate on their debt. And these are 105 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 2: the people that we want to eventually want to attract 106 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 2: back to al Taua, bring the skills they have from 107 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 2: over and contribute back to our society. But right now 108 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 2: we're creating barriers and they're being double panelized. 109 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: Lawrence, appreciate your time this afternoon, thanks for being with. 110 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,359 Speaker 2: Me, and thank you so much, really appreciate it and. 111 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: Hope you have a merry Christmas, you too, Lawrence Chunan, 112 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: who's the Green Party's overseas New Zealand as a spokesperson. 113 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 114 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,359 Speaker 1: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 115 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.