In light of newly-published targets, Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad is concerned the Government has lost ambition for ending child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Under the Child Poverty Reduction Act (2018), a ten year goal was set to halve child poverty by 2028, with intermediate targets set every three years.

But the Government’s latest reduction targets, for the third intermediate period, have actually increased for two of the three measures, including material hardship lifting from 9% to 11%.

This means accepting around 24,000* more children living in homes that cannot afford at least six of the 17 items regarded as essential – things like having fresh fruit and vegetables, warm clothes and shoes, and doctor’s visits.

Latest official child poverty data shows approximately 143,700 children experienced material hardship in the 2022/23 financial year. That is about one in every eight children.

Pasifika, Māori and disabled children continue to be worst affected, with one in every four Pasifika children and one in every five mokopuna Māori living in material hardship. One in five disabled children live in material hardship.

“I’m very disappointed and concerned to learn of the reversed direction of two of the targets for reducing and ultimately ending child poverty. We must keep our ambition high – and yet here we’ve got the Government actually lowering this ambition.

“It’s a non-negotiable that we must reduce poverty affecting children and whānau, and it’s something that must be prioritised with bipartisan focus and support,” says Dr Achmad.

In April this year the Government set nine ‘deliberately ambitious’ targets, challenging the public sector to ‘be innovative and disciplined in directing resources to where they will have the greatest impact on outcomes’. None related directly to child poverty.

The Commissioner is calling for deliberately ambitious targets on child poverty too.

“While some Government policies are focusing on improving life for whānau, addressing our high rates of child poverty in our small, relatively rich nation requires a wider focus beyond cost-of-living pressures and encouraging parents to get into jobs,” she says.

This is because nearly as many children in poverty live in working households (40-45% of all children in poverty) as live in households where parents and caregivers access welfare support.

To date, the Government’s quarterly action plans, which aim to build momentum and drive delivery, have yet to include initiatives that will significantly move the dial on reducing child poverty.

“Again, I’m calling for ending poverty affecting children and whānau to be our project of national significance, led by the current and successive governments, working on a cross-party basis” says Dr Achmad.

“No child should be going hungry in Aotearoa New Zealand. We need bold, focused action and significant investment to help alleviate many of the stressors placing pressure on our poorest, most disadvantaged families, and ensure all children can grow up safe and thriving.

“Let’s together have real ambition for improving life for all of our mokopuna.”

Note:

*We have calculated this based on the latest available population estimates from Statistics New Zealand (31 March, 2024).

Mana Mokopuna – Children and Young People’s Commission is an Independent Crown Entity, and is the independent advocate for all children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Chief Children’s Commissioner is the full-time, visible advocate for all children and young people, and is the Chair of the Mana Mokopuna Board.

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