NZ children struggling to live happily, report finds

Bullying, drugs and being constantly let down are among the issues stopping Kiwi kids from having a happy life, a new report states.

The Children’s Commissioner and Oranga Tamariki spoke to more than 6000 children about their views on what makes a good life, along with what gets in the way and what helps.

While the majority of children and young people involved in the survey said they were doing well a significant number were still facing challenges.

The report stated that overall change was needed to improve the wellbeing of Kiwi kids.

While a large majority of those interviewed agreed they had a warm place to live, a safe home and enough money for food and clothes, only 63 per cent said they could cope when life gets hard and 66 per cent felt as though they belonged at school.

Children surveyed in the report said bullying got in the way of a good life. One 17-year-old boy said while bullying at school was an issue so was cyber bullying. ‘‘It is very different today now because you can be bullied in your own bedroom on the phone. That is a big thing we should be careful of. There is cyber bullying,’’ he said.

The report said around one in 10 children were facing ‘‘multiple challenges in their lives’’, based on their responses. One young girl from south Auckland said, ‘‘when I go home I’m getting ready to battle the devil.’’

The report said almost every child and young person could name something that needed to be improved.

‘‘Most of the children and young people we spoke with, including those facing significant challenges, were positive that their lives would improve over time. However, some had lost hope that things would get better. These young people were just coping with each day as it came.’’

Some of the key insights identified included that family and wha¯ nau were crucial, providing the basics was important but not enough on its own and that children and young people had valuable insights to share.

‘‘Children and young people have told us that they want the basics, plus a little bit more,’’ the report said. ‘‘We think they deserve a lot more.’’

Findings from the report will be used to inform and drive the Government’s child and youth wellbeing strategy.

‘‘It is very different today now because you can be bullied in your own bedroom on the phone.’’