A Universal Basic Income is a way for Kiwis to share during this crisis Philip McKibbin Follow Mar 21 · 5 min read

As the social and economic reality of the COVID-19 pandemic sets in, many of us have suddenly and unexpectedly found ourselves in positions of extreme vulnerability. Kiwis working across a broad spectrum of industries — tourism, hospitality, the arts — are facing what, for many of us, is an unprecedented threat to our livelihoods: many are losing income, some have already lost jobs. And as a lot of us have been saying for a long time now, many Kiwis have been living with financial hardship for years.

There is something the government can and should do right now, which would alleviate this hardship and help to ensure that all New Zealanders can successfully meet the challenges of this pandemic — introduce a universal basic income.

A universal basic income (or UBI) is, essentially, an obligation-free payment made to every member of a community. There are different ways of working this out; ActionStation has just proposed a trial universal basic income at the same level as Superannuation. The idea is that it should be enough for an individual to meet at least some of their basic needs — for food, accommodation, healthcare, etc. It can operate alongside targeted relief for individuals and whānau, and other forms of support such as that administered through ACC. A UBI is, essentially, a way for Kiwis to share what we have, so that none of us goes without.

Governments around the world are planning financial packages to assist their citizens as they confront this pandemic — in some places, such as Hong Kong, everyone has been offered a one-off payment, while in others there is targeted relief, such as assistance for the recently unemployed. Our government has already announced financial support for businesses as well as a raise in benefit payments. A universal basic income could underpin those measures, ensuring everyone gets through this crisis and no one misses out.

A universal basic income has several advantages over targeted assistance. It presents fewer operational hurdles: because we don’t need to figure out who gets it and who doesn’t, it’s much easier to administer. Also, because everyone receives the UBI — or, at least, every adult — it doesn’t come with the stigma that sometimes attaches to other benefits. It enables each of us to meet our basic needs with dignity — and so, it promotes physical, psychological, relational, and spiritual well-being.

A universal basic income makes sense: all New Zealanders should be able to meet our basic needs without having to worry about whether or not we will be able to. But why do I say a UBI is loving? Isn’t love something that people feel and express? How can a policy be loving?

Many people think of love as a feeling or emotion, but I believe it can be better understood as an orientation, or ‘attitude’. In my book, Love Notes: for a Politics of Love, I write that love is a way of relating to the world. We relate to the world not only as individuals, but as communities, too. As well as expressing our love on an interpersonal level, we can express it through the governments we empower and the institutions we establish. It can also be expressed through policies — like a universal basic income.

Think about it: would Kiwis working together to make sure everyone has enough money to get by be all that different from you picking up groceries for your elderly neighbour — or to some of us working to a roster to ensure a grieving family has nutritious meals to eat while they farewell their loved one and adapt to the loss? Love works to make the world a better place.

The Politics of Love affirms the importance of loving values, such as compassion, sharing, and trust. These values can guide decision-making, at an individual level as well as at collective levels. A universal basic income would see us showing compassion to our fellow New Zealanders during this very challenging time; it is a way we could share our resources; and it would express our trust in others’ ability to determine how best to use this assistance.

Not all New Zealanders will need the universal basic income — but that doesn’t mean we can’t get behind it. This is an opportunity for us as Kiwis to stand together. A UBI is as much about others as it is about ourselves. It’s a way to show love for our community. Importantly, this initiative would support other forms of solidarity. New Zealanders who are relatively well-off are already looking at ways to help our fellow Kiwis — many landlords are thinking about reducing rent for tenants, and some employers are working out how to absorb the impacts of this crisis so employees will not suffer. With the added security a UBI would bring, those of us who are able to might feel more confident making such adjustments. And when all of us are worrying less about meeting our own needs, we will have more time, resources, and emotional presence to check on one another and help each other out.

If we enact a universal basic income, it will likely have other positive benefits which will continue to work for us after this pandemic passes. As my dear friend Max Harris has written, for example, the increased financial security a UBI would bring might enable people to leave abusive relationships, allowing them to ‘realise love more fully’ in their own lives.

When we reflect on our history, we remember that during times of crisis Kiwis pull together. We did this a year ago, following the white supremacist terror attack in Christchurch. And it was in response to the Great Depression that our nation’s first Labour government, led by Michael Joseph Savage, established the social welfare system. As New Zealanders, we have a profound, deeply-felt love for one another — and at our best, we find ways to express our aroha. Let us think in terms of possibility.

Love is what will get us through this crisis. And if we enact a universal basic income now, Aotearoa will be a more loving place after the pandemic than it was before it began.