Latest figures show no improvement in child poverty

Recently, Stats NZ revealed the government has failed to improve New Zealand's child poverty since 2019.

More than 150,000 children and their families are still living in material hardship every day, which means children go day by day without food, water, or clothes.

Although the government has made changes to the system by introducing the child poverty reduction bill and increasing income, families are still struggling to put food on the table.

Experts said that if children do not receive the necessities to live freely, all the stress accumulates over time affecting both their behaviour and social development.

Pasifika, Māori, and Disability children are the most vulnerable groups.

One-quarter of Pasifika children and one-fifth of Māori tāmāriki are living in impoverished environments compared to one in 10 children in New Zealand.

Pasifika spokesperson Sir Collin Tukuitonga said, "this is disappointing to hear but not surprising at all."

When poverty policies came into action into the 1990s, Pasifika families didn’t have degree of home ownership- creating the intergenerational poverty trap.

"Pasifika families are typically low-income earners living in small, cold, and damp houses," he said.

Now, with the cost of living on the rise, these families have to spend most of their income on average housing.

This means children are not being fully cared for, creating a huge impact on their health.

"These kids often have respiratory underlying health conditions that only get worse if they are not careful," he said.

For most of the Pasifika parents, it's hard to afford doctor visits with so many other bills.

This means children are not being fully cared for, creating a huge impact on their health.

"These kids often have respiratory underlying health conditions that only get worse if they are not careful," he said.

For most of the Pasifika parents, it's hard to afford doctor visits with so many other bills.

"Not prioritising these sicknesses can lead to long-term effects that will also withhold them from achieving in life".

Pediatrician Child Poverty Action Group spokesperson Innes Asher said she has witnessed many kids in poverty rushed to the hospital with avoidable diseases.

"Working as a doctor for over 40 years, I have seen many cases with preventable diseases such as Pneumonia, serious skin infections, the list continues," she said.

"It's heart-breaking to see that no drastic measures are being put in place to stop this continuous cycle of children being the victims of poverty."

Both Pasifika and Māori children are most likely to gain Rheumatic fever that’s associated with inadequate housing and household crowding.

"Pasifika children are 80 times more likely to gain ARF compared to European children," she said, "becoming sick so young affects their health systems for the rest of their lives."

She said it's grim for the future of the country, for the children, and for the families who are having to go through this.

Māori spokesperson Dr. Danny de Lore believes an overhaul of the tax system could be the only way to address child poverty.

"The cycle will only break if we redistribute our wealth, alter our investments and look at the taxation system," he said.

De Lore said New Zealand is a wealthy country which means there's enough money to eliminate poverty.

"Poverty is like wealth and power- they are all passed from one generation to the next making it extremely difficult to escape the repeating cycle."

He hopes the government distribute the funding to support organisations who help the poverty system.

"Now is the time to invest in the children of Aotearoa, to make strong and accessible public services so all children receive the best start in life."

The Child Poverty Action Group has proposed the idea for the government to invest 2-3 billion dollars per year for the benefit incomes so the poverty trap is no more.

They hope something will change in the future to help stop the poverty system so all children thrive.

The above figures display the latest child poverty statistics showcasing both moderate and severe material hardship between June 2019- March 2020. 

Pacific people have the highest rate of both in New Zealand.