Media release

Every Child Counts

13 December 2016

Latest child poverty statistics show we're failing to turn the tide

The latest Child Poverty Monitor statistics show the country is failing to dent the numbers of children living in hardship.

The latest figures show 14% of children (155,000 children) are living in households that are going without seven or more items (from a list of 17) considered necessary for well being. The report also shows that 28% of children (295,000 children) are living in low income homes where their families live off less than 60% of the median income.

Especially concerning is that 8% of children are living in severe poverty – that means 90,000 New Zealand children are experiencing both material hardship and living in a low income household.

“We are disappointed that we are yet to see any meaningful change in child poverty rates” says Lisa Woods, Executive Officer of Every Child Counts.

“There are very serious humanitarian and moral considerations here, but even if you put those aside there are serious economic consequences. Research shows that poor outcomes for children cost the New Zealand economy $6 billion every year. This is especially concerning given that as the population grows older, we will be more dependent on today’s children and young people to pay taxes and keep our economy going.

“Despite our country’s shockingly high child poverty statistics, successive governments have failed to take the action needed to turn the tide. Too often action has been piecemeal, and while individual policies here and there may be positive, a cherry picking approach is wholly inadequate.

“Without an overarching plan, individual policies, no matter how positive, will not add up to the fundamental change we need to see” says Lisa.

Every Child Counts is calling for a national plan of action for all children based on child rights – something recently recommended by the United Nations Committee examining New Zealand’s compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Without a nationally coordinated strategy, there is limited accountability and almost no way to judge whether we are on the right track.

"A national plan of action for all children pulls together the different threads of child wellbeing, from health to education, enabling a joined up approach and a coherent foundation for assessing how we’re doing. Whilst targeting has a place in public policy, it is increasingly clear that taking a universal approach is essential to addressing the number of children requiring intensive support.

“Only when we have political action along those lines will we begin to see fundamental change. We know what needs to be done, now we just need our leaders in parliament to do it" says Lisa.

About Every Child Counts

Every Child Counts is a coalition of organisations working to improve the status and wellbeing of NZ children, driven by Barnardos, Plunket, UNICEF, Save the Children, and Mana Ririki.

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