“Compassion fatigue” may be behind New Zealanders’ slow response to the Indonesia quake disaster, which killed more than 5000 people and has left hundreds of thousands homeless.

New Zealand aid agencies said donations have been slow to come in since the magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit densely-populated central Java on Saturday.

Public slow to donate to quake relief – NZPA

Compassion fatigue? Actually, I think it has more to do with the fact people just cannot afford to donate anywhere near as much as they used to. Living costs in New Zealand are just too high right now. We’re suffering under a massive tax burden, high interest rates, the cost of fuel is exhorbitant and we’re paying increased daily living costs as a result of all this.

We just can’t afford to go on donating money to other people for their survival when we’re in a battle for our own daily survival.

Given the Government is holding on to most of our money, maybe the government should donate more on behalf of each tax paying citizen of New Zealand.