April 5, 2024
The risk of not having robust evidence about children’s outcomes is significant, warns Chief Children’s Commissioner Dr
Claire Achmad, following an announcement that two long-term studies about children are at risk.
Stats NZ has announced it has stopped the Living in Aotearoa survey, the first major longitudinal survey into ‘poverty
persistence’ in New Zealand, focusing on how long whānau remain in disadvantage. Funding for a separate longitudinal
study, the long-running Growing Up in New Zealand study run by the University of Auckland, came to an end in February
and has not yet been continued.
“Robust, disaggregated and long-term data and research about children’s outcomes is an essential building block not only
to understand children’s lives, but to inform decisions that advance children’s health, wellbeing, education and
opportunities to thrive,” says Dr Achmad.
“I’m concerned that by stopping the Living in Aotearoa survey, it will be difficult for us to understand the extent to
which children are experiencing persistent poverty.
“Without appropriate survey data, it’s hard to see how our understanding of poverty persistence, which is legally
required under the Child Poverty Reduction Act, will be delivered,” Dr Achmad says.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has said that comprehensive data about children’s outcomes is one of the key
foundation stones to ensuring their rights are being met.
”Just last year, the Committee clearly recommended that New Zealand strengthen its official data about children and
their rights, with a focus on children experiencing disadvantage, including mokopuna Māori, children with disabilities,
and those who are experiencing poverty and violence.”
“Ending child poverty needs to be an ongoing national project of significance, with commitment from successive
governments. This requires having good data and research about children’s outcomes, so that decisions, investment, and
policies affecting children’s lives can be well-informed and effective.
“By stopping the Living in Aotearoa survey, we are losing what promised to be a crucial longitudinal data set to
understand the situation of some of our most disadvantaged children, and it is information that cannot be measured
through the Growing Up in New Zealand study.
“When it comes to Growing Up in New Zealand, this study plays a crucial role in understanding children’s wider wellbeing
experiences. I’m pleased to see Minister Upston stating the Government wants this to continue and is looking into
funding options, and I strongly encourage that,” Dr Achmad says.
Dr Achmad says that as the independent advocate for children and young people, Mana Mokopuna – Children and Young
People’s Commission will continue seeking assurance about how data relating to poverty persistence will now be
established by Stats NZ.
”I will keep advocating for robust, disaggregated and longitudinal data relating to children’s outcomes, alongside
policies and investment in whānau wellbeing, to uphold children’s rights,” says Dr Achmad.