UNICEF cautions child poverty rates are “stagnating” in New Zealand

An international report by UNICEF has found that child poverty rates in New Zealand have barely changed since 2008, despite similar sized countries significantly reducing child poverty during the recent recession.

UNICEF also revealed that youth unemployment has increased and more New Zealanders admit they do not have enough money to buy food.

The report, Children of the Recession, studied the impact of the global economic crisis on child wellbeing in 41 OECD and EU countries. It highlights the fact that the current and future lives of children have been – and are being – neglected in the global response to the Great Recession.

Deborah Morris-Travers, National Advocacy Manager for UNICEF New Zealand, said: “The report shows that child poverty rates in New Zealand have stagnated, reducing by just 0.40 per cent since 2008. At the same time, Finland and Norway, states of a similar size to New Zealand, have reduced their child poverty rates by 4.30 and 3.20 per cent respectively.

“This strongly suggests that the government needs to review its approach to addressing child poverty and make policies for children a priority. There are many good examples of successful policies being implemented internationally, highlighting that child poverty is not an inevitable result of the recession if governments implement appropriate policy responses.

“The report points to Australia where cash payments were made available to low-income families, protecting the poorest children and stimulating consumption to promote recovery. This is contrasted with New Zealand’s policy of tax cuts, which have done nothing to improve the situation for children in poverty.

“UNICEF says governments should place the wellbeing of children at the top of their responses to the recession, saying it is not only a moral obligation but is in the self-interest of societies. UNICEF says it would like to see all developed countries make an explicit commitment to end child poverty. Child poverty and social exclusion should be addressed from a child rights approach, in accordance with the commitments made in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

The study reported that the Gallup World Poll, a study which researches what people say about their living situation, found that three out of four indicators for New Zealand had worsened since 2007.

These indicators address food insecurity, overall satisfaction with life and opinions on whether children have the opportunity to learn and grow every day. However, the study also found that New Zealanders reported the lowest levels of stress.

New Zealand’s NEET rate, which measures youth aged 15-24 not in education, employment or training, had also increased, by 0.8 per cent, from 12.9 per cent in 2008 to 13.7 per cent in 2013. However, both Finland and Norway recorded higher increases of 1.5 per cent. Australia also experienced an increase in NEETS

New Zealand is ranked 16th overall in UNICEF’s league tables in terms of its progress in reducing child poverty. The top three countries for reducing child poverty were Chile, Poland and Australia.

Around 76.5 million children live in poverty in the 41 most affluent countries. In 23 of these the poverty of children has increased since 2008. However, in 18 countries child poverty has fallen, sometimes markedly.

“Recent comments from the Prime Minister have acknowledged that children in New Zealand are missing out and that more must be done to address this. These encouraging comments are welcomed but need to be reinforced with real and meaningful action, sooner rather than later. These new league tables confirm that current policies are doing little to protect our most vulnerable citizens from poverty and failure to respond boldly may have long-term negative implications,” concluded Ms Morris-Travers.

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