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Bare Your Soles for Child Poverty

10 Dec 2102

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) invites the public, media and politicians to attend a rally at Parliament at 1pm on 12 December to coincide with the release of the Expert Advisory Group’s (EAG) recommendations on solutions to child poverty.

The lunchtime rally is intended to raise awareness about child poverty, with attendees invited to go barefoot to show that its existence is unacceptable in New Zealand.

“This report reveals grim findings. Thankfully, many New Zealanders are becoming more aware of the issues involved. Our hope is that by bringing together people as part of this rally, the EAG’s final report will get the attention it deserves. All New Zealanders have a stake in this issue and we encourage peoples of all ages and backgrounds to show their support” says Dr Nikki Turner (Child Poverty Action Group Health Spokesperson and Member of the Expert Advisory Group).

Along with speeches, the event will have interactive art and music from singer-songwriter Louis Baker, and will be non-partisan and child friendly.

It is clear that urgent action is required. One in five New Zealand children live in poverty. Children are six times more likely to live in poverty than the elderly. The effects of poverty are most damaging in childhood, often affecting one’s development as an adult.

The EAG has been investigating the issue of child poverty since it was set up by the Children’s Commissioner in March 2012. The group is made up of experts from a wide range of backgrounds who are ideally placed to consider how we can ensure children are given a healthy start in life. We believe that their recommendations will provide practical, evidence-based solutions and must be taken seriously by the Government. They must not be ignored and swept under the carpet.

Solving child poverty needs to be the highest priority for our government and wider society. Not only are children morally blameless, they are also our future. Without adequate investment in solutions, our country as a whole will suffer. We must acknowledge that while we are all responsible for the current situation, real solutions exist and must be acted upon.

The Bare Your Soles Rally has been organised by a collective of young people from within the Child Poverty Action Group concerned about child poverty in New Zealand. They state “We are impatient for change to the dire status quo. We know that there are policy measures that can be taken to reduce this. The preliminary releases by the EAG indicate that the final report will provide solutions to this extreme challenge.”

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