Topic: Squeezed empty in NZ

I have just been reading an article on the tax system in NZ "Call for overhaul of "unfair" tax system" (By Grahame Armstrong 02/08/09) on an online news site called "stuff" (Fairfax Media).

As a so called "average income earner" (we are on a single income) with a family, I really am finding it somewhat difficult to understand how we in this country are expected to save money when the statistics so often quoted contradict being able to do such ie:

Statistics NZ three yearly household economic survey puts average annual household income at $67,973 in 2006/07, I understand that this is a Gross figure, therefore this would leave an after tax sum of $946.96.

Now to relate this to the article by Grahame Armstrong where it says "in 2007 the average kiwi household spent around $950.00 a week" this would leave a weekly deficit of around $3.00.

How on earth is one supposed to save money?, let alone give children a better education, buy a home, save for retirement... go on holiday, etc. So you see if I use the figures available to us, we here in NZ are living to work just to survive, which puts us no better of than those in a third world country.

Anyone got any suggestions?

so, you are saying nz is 3rd world?

Does that 'average household income' figure take into account that we live in a country that has such a relatively heavy welfare burden (DPB/Dole/etc)?

I know our household income is around twice that, and we're not exactly 'wealthy'.