Report highlights the reality of poverty

A report into the experiences of Māori whānau living in poverty and hardship was released today at parliament.

The report Māori Narratives of Poverty, describes the reality of poverty through the stories of eight whānau.

A joint initiative between Whakawhetū and Every Child Counts, the report highlights the strength and resilience of the whānau involved in the study, but also the enormous stress and pressure brought on by not having enough money to meet the basics.

“Child poverty is a serious problem in New Zealand. The most recent figures from the Child Poverty Monitor show 305,000 children living in poverty (under an income based measure). That is more than 1 in 4 children. The monitor also shows that poverty rates for Māori and Pacific children are higher than for European children” says Lisa Woods, Executive Officer of Every Child Counts.

“When talking about child poverty and how to improve child wellbeing, we’re conscious a common starting point is the question ‘what’s lacking?’.

“However, this starting point can very quickly lead to a cycle of only seeing something broken, or lacking. When in fact we know, that behind every issue are people and communities with incredible ability and knowledge. This is where we should start. And this is what this research does. It describes the enormous difficulties faced by whānau, but also their strength and resilience.” says Lisa.

The full report is available here

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