Child Wellbeing Report Show NZ Scoring Badly On Nearly Everything

Embargoed to 11pm, 14 February 2007

The Public Health Association is calling for action on child wellbeing in the wake of a new report which shows children here are worse off than their counterparts in many other industrialised countries.

The 7th report on the wellbeing of children and young people in the world’s advanced economies shows New Zealand consistently scoring in the bottom third of countries on a number of measures including immunisation, spending time with our kids, teenage pregnancy, and having parents out of work.

The report by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre is worrying reading, with New Zealand lagging behind other economically poorer industrialised countries in some measures.

PHA Director Dr Gay Keating says it is therefore no surprise that we are in the bottom four for children surviving the first year of life, and the worst of all industrialised countries in keeping our children alive to adulthood.

“New Zealand ranks 24th out of 24 developed countries in the number of our children who die from accident and injury. We need a major rethink now to show that we value our children.

“This can be shown in a number of ways – government laws that shun physical punishment, a family-friendly culture from employers that includes flexible and child-friendly work hours, child-friendly environments in sports clubs, and a focus on effective parenting.

“We need early support for all parents of young children, which means funding effective parenting education and support systems universally – not just targeted to some segments of society. Intensive intervention services for families under pressure are essential, and these services should be available across the country.”

Dr Keating says it is crucial children’s health and wellbeing is prioritised now to prevent a knock-on effect in future generations. She says children who miss out now risk developing long-term physical and mental health issues.

“The health of our children is the responsibility of us all. Investing in our children now will reward us a thousand–fold in the future. If we ever needed a wake-up call, this report is it.”

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