Government continues to ignore child poverty while kids go hungry

Hone Harawira, MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau

Wednesday 30 October 2013

“For all their big talk about helping vulnerable kids, this government just don’t give a damn” said Hone Harawira, MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau, when he learnt that the Children’s Commissioner, Dr Russell Wills, has sought funding from a charitable trust to pay to measure child poverty because the government won’t.

In their December 2012 report, the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Child Poverty recommended the measurement of child poverty, the setting of short and long term poverty-reduction targets, and regular monitoring and reporting of results as a first-step to address child poverty.

“The government spends billions to bail out finance companies, gives huge backhanders to foreign corporates, and changes the law so property developers and casinos can cash in big time – but they won’t spend a penny to measure child poverty.”

“And while I’m gutted I’m not surprised.  This is the government whose response to 100,000 Kiwi kids going to school hungry every day was to give some of them weetbix – and then pat themselves on the back for it.”

“Our kids deserve much more than that, and MANA will work with like-minded parties to make sure they get it.”

ENDS

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