Why it’s an exciting time for children in Aotearoa New Zealand – but we can’t afford to be complacent
By Claire Achmad
New Zealand’s 2017 General Election campaign signaled a shift in the public and political consciousness about how we
treat children in our country. Unlike previous campaigns, issues affecting children got significant and widespread
attention. This led to strong policy commitments for children across many of the political parties, including the
largest two.
This was timely, because big changes are needed if we are to be a country that can be proud of how we treat and value
children. It’s up to all of us – not just Government – to shape the follow-through, so we make the most of the momentum
around child well-being created through the Election campaign.
The new Government has been unequivocal in articulating its commitment to prioritising children’s well-being and
bettering children’s lives. It comes right from the top – a Prime Minister who is setting a clear tone for hers to be a
Government characterised by empathy, kindness and creating real change in the lives of all people up and down our
islands, including the youngest among us.
We shouldn’t underestimate the impact our Prime Minister is already having by talking in terms of empathy and kindness.
She is a Prime Minister who children and young people are excited about, and the messages she sends are reaching them.
As a result, children and young people are getting switched on to something which is not new but which hasn’t always
been ‘cool’ – there’s a currency in kindness right now.
Kindness is something we need to foster in our society, so all children in New Zealand grow up knowing it’s cool to be
kind and to have empathy for others. Nurturing this culture also holds the promise of more of our children and young
people feeling supported, loved and respected, and having a sense of hope for their future. This is something there is
no doubt we desperately need given our ‘world’s worst’ rates of adolescent suicide and the high levels of anxiety and
mental health issues among children in our country.
The policy commitments this Government has made to children have the potential to be transformational and
intergenerational in effect. Among other things, a commitment to reducing our shameful rates of child poverty could be a
game-changer. How the Government implements its commitments in policy, legislation and service delivery is going to be
the critical part to get right.
Implementation measures must be carefully designed and services must be delivered in ways that will work for children in
practice. As well as focusing on the children who are in the greatest need, it is essential that this Government and
future Governments recognise their responsibility of governing for all children. This means ensuring children’s rights
are promoted and protected across the board, in line with the standards set out by the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
Alongside this, establishing the institutional architecture and mechanisms supporting a more child-friendly and
child-focused country will help create the machinery to turn policy commitments into reality (for example, establishing
Climate Change, Housing and Mental Health Commissions and a unit within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to
lead child poverty reduction work; amending the Public Finance Act to require the Budget reports on progress to reduce
child poverty).
It is also promising to see the focus on sustainable economic, social and environmental development reflected in the new
Government’s Governing agreements, starting to give life to the Sustainable Development Goals in New Zealand. This is
especially important for children and young people. After all, they are the future kaitaiki or guardians of our country
and planet, and as the UN acknowledges, children and young people are critical partners in achieving sustainable
development.
For those of us working in the child and social sectors, Government’s new commitments to children give us reason to be
cautiously optimistic about the future situation of those we work to promote the rights and well-being of – Aotearoa’s
children and tamariki. But we cannot afford to be complacent or to think it is going to be easy for Government to
achieve its ambitious commitments to protecting and advancing children’s well-being. It will be hard and require
relentless energy, policy nous and coordinated and concerted efforts to implement and drive change on the ground.
These efforts will need to be sustained over time and transparency concerning progress will be crucial. It will – as the
Prime Minister herself has stated – require Government to work collaboratively with civil society organisations which
share its goals. Consulting early and embracing co-development and design will be necessary to make this collaboration
effective.
Achieving real change for children in New Zealand will also require the input of experts from academia and independent
research quarters, and working with people who have lived experience of the social challenges Government is seeking to
address. That means we must find new ways of working with children and young people to hear their ideas and experiences,
and to ensure these have influence, by translating them into policy and action. It is often those who are experiencing
problems first-hand who know what will work best in terms of solutions – we’ve seen that time and again in the
disability sector and children are no different.
Instead of being a country that continues to appear in the ‘worst ranked’ columns when it comes to of rates of child
abuse, violence and neglect, we have the opportunity to now work together as a country to build a culture of positive
outcomes and well-being for and with all children. To do this, it is essential we understand the complex drivers of our
existing child rights and well-being problems, and shape solutions addressing the intersection of these issues. These
need to be turned into practical action delivered in ways that work for children, and which offer intergenerational
impact. Add a healthy dose of kindness to the mix, and we might just have a recipe for a country where every child can
shine bright.
Claire Achmad is Manager – Child and Tamariki Advocacy, Barnardos, New Zealand’s largest children’s charity. She was formerly Senior Advisor to the Chief Human Rights Commissioner and
has held posts as a lawyer and policy advisor in government and international child focused organisations.