This morning’s Stats NZ child poverty statistics should act as a wake-up call for the government: with no movement in child poverty rates since June 2023, it’s time to make the wellbeing of our tamariki a political priority.

“Poverty is a political choice we do not have to accept. We can choose to end it–our mokopuna deserve nothing less,” says Green Party co-leader and Child Poverty spokesperson, Hon Marama Davidson.

“Every child in Aotearoa deserves a warm, dry home and a full belly. We have all the tools we need to give them that and more.

“What we need is ambition and commitment to end the cycle of thousands of children across generations falling through the cracks and being set up to fail for the rest of their lives. It is high time we started supporting our children to thrive.

“It’s well understood that the first few years set the stage for the rest of a child’s life. Living in a household mired in poverty has lasting consequences for the wellbeing of our pēpi and tamariki.

“Unfortunately, as we have seen today, 156,000 children are growing up in material hardship. This is a national shame.

“Māori, Pacific and disabled children are disproportionately affected by child poverty, with 1 in 4, 1 in 3, and 1 in 5 children growing up in material hardship respectively. These are the very groups hit the hardest by the policies of a government which has bent over backwards to hand billions of dollars in tax cuts to wealthy landlords, while ignoring the many struggling.

“The Green Party campaigned to end poverty for all families in Aotearoa by providing everyone with an Income Guarantee that would ensure every household and every child has all they need to thrive.

“We can’t keep tinkering around the edge and watering down child poverty reduction targets like we’ve seen the coalition doing this term. Our plan will put children’s wellbeing at the centre of decision-making and policy, where it should have been all along,” says Marama Davidson.

NOTES

The Stats NZ report can be found in full here.

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