Poverty blighting one in five NZ children
WELLINGTON: One in five New Zealand children are living in homes without access to enough food or adequate healthy food.
The latest Child Poverty Monitor, which measures childhood deprivation in New Zealand, also found that children in the most disadvantaged communities are twice as likely to end up in hospital as those living in areas of economic and social advantage.
Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft said the findings showed New Zealand had dropped the ball on child poverty.
He said that when compared with previous years, nothing had really changed.
‘‘Things are no better, but they’re no worse either,’’ he said.
‘‘However you cut it, there are effectively two Eden Parks full of children who are doing it really tough — about 100,000.
‘‘That’s not good enough for New Zealand, we can do much better.’’
The Child Poverty Monitor said 68% of pupils in the most disadvan taged communities achieved NCEA level 2, while in the most advantaged communities there was a 93% achievement rate.
Health problems were another key area.
Judge Becroft said children in poverty were three times more likely to end up in hospital with a respiratory condition.
He had recently met one family who were living in a garden shed with a 4yearold boy who was seen by a doctor at least once a week for breathing problems.
‘‘That’s a real example of how the sort of disadvantage we are talking about has practical and significant consequences that ought to concern us, and as Children’s Commissioner it concerns me deeply.’’
He said the report reiterated the fact that child poverty was often the result of several contributing factors.
‘‘We have chosen this year [to focus on] food and security, educational achievement, housing and health. ‘‘They’re all interrelated.
‘‘We know that housing and health are, sort of, chicken and the egg — the poorer the housing, the poorer the health outcomes, often the poorer the educational outcomes.’’
Despite the findings, Judge Becroft said he was optimistic that child poverty rates would be halved in the next 10 years.
‘‘We’ve set the target, there will be annual reports published so all of us will know if we are heading in the right direction,’’ he said.
‘‘All of us have a role to play. Community groups, NGOs, philanthropic groups, businesses, we can all play our part.
‘‘It took thirty years to create this problem — we should be able to halve it in about ten years. I think we can do it.’’ — RNZ