A new government report on child poverty has revealed that more children and young people in New Zealand are experiencing material hardship compared to last year.
The annual report, which focuses on the Children and Youth Strategy, covers child poverty measures for the period from July 2023 to June 2024.
According to the report, 13.4 percent of children and young people aged 0 to 17 are classified as experiencing material hardship. This marks an increase of 0.9 percent from the previous year and a 2.9 percent rise compared to July 2021 to June 2022.
The report highlights several concerning trends, including a rise in the number of young people in households receiving welfare payments, more avoidable hospital admissions, a decline in infant immunization rates, and an increase in food insecurity compared to the previous year.
On a more positive note, the report shows that over half (53.7 percent) of students aged 6 to 16 attended school for 90 percent of their term time. This is a 6 percent increase from the previous year. Additionally, the number of three-year-olds attending early childhood education also rose.
Dr. Clare Ahmad, the Chief Children’s Commissioner, said the findings underscored the urgent need for the government to prioritize child welfare.
“The report shows that we are failing children on the most basic needs, such as access to healthy food, safe housing, and good health,” Dr. Ahmad said.
She called for the 2025 Budget to focus on children, stating that this is crucial to fulfilling the government’s promise to make New Zealand the best place for children to grow up.
“Investment is needed in policies to reduce material hardship and ease the burden on children,” Dr. Ahmad added. “The government must make tackling child poverty a top national priority.”
Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Louise Upston acknowledged that many of the findings reflect the ongoing impact of the “long-term cost of living crisis.”
“We know that many families and their children are still struggling. We are working hard to address this through programs like FamilyBoost, and our efforts as a Coalition Government will continue to be guided by our approach to social investment,” Upston said.
She emphasized that the findings confirm that the government is focusing on the right priorities in the areas of education and health.
