Save the Children calls on everyone to treasure our tamariki this Children's Day
02 March 2012
This Sunday, 4 March is Children’s Day / Te Ra O Te Tamariki in New Zealand. Fun family and community events are taking
place nationwide and Save the Children New Zealand is again a proud supporter of the day.
Children’s Day is a day for celebrating our children / tamariki and a chance to raise awareness of their importance in
our society – which is very much at the heart of Save the Children’s work.
As the world’s leading independent organisation for children, instrumental in the creation of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Save the Children works in New Zealand, the Pacific and around the world to ensure that all
children have the right to a healthy, happy, fulfilling life.
Children’s Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate children and young people by getting out with our families and
communities and simply enjoying time together, said Save the Children New Zealand CEO Liz Gibbs.
“The 2012 theme is ‘treasure our children’ - which is a good reminder to us that all of New Zealand’s children are our
taonga. This year, Save the Children New Zealand wants people to reflect on what more they could do to help our most
vulnerable children.
“We are not investing enough in these children and it’s not acceptable that we remain at the bottom of the OECD tables
when it comes to their health and wellbeing. The government estimates that there are approximately 163, 000 children
living in New Zealand who are considered vulnerable and we are all responsible for improving their lives,” Ms Gibbs
said.
As part as the process for developing an Action Plan for Children, Save the Children New Zealand recently included the
thoughts and opinions of over 130 children and young people in its submission to the government’s Green Paper for
Vulnerable Children. The organisation is using an online platform called the Hear our Voices Values Exchange to engage with children and young people about issues that are important to them as a way to ensure they have a say
when it comes to their future.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Save the Children New Zealand believes that the voices of all children and young people need to be carefully considered.
It has set up an online platform, where children aged 7 to 17 year-olds can engage with Save the Children as well as
their peers about issues that are important to them. Visit the Hear Our Voices Values Exchange at http://savethechildren.values-exchange.co.nz/
Children’s Day is celebrated in New Zealand each year on the first Sunday of March. Visit www.childrensday.org.nz to find out more.