Children pay heavy price for lockdowns
They are disproportionately affected by our Covid response, and the children’s commissioner says we should be ashamed, writes Helen Harvey.
Kiwi children are paying a heavy price for New Zealand’s lockdowns, and it is disproportionately affecting kids who are already suffering.
A new report released today examines how they fared during Covid restrictions, and the findings aren’t pretty.
In fact, Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft said Aotearoa should be ashamed of neglecting to prioritise the needs of children over the past 30 years.
‘‘Children disproportionately carried the load,’’ Becroft said, referring to the cost to the country of going through life-saving lockdowns.
‘‘And the group of children who carried the load were already doing it tough.’’
New Zealand’s muchvaunted ‘‘team of 5 million’’ includes 1.18 million children and young people under the age of 18, but their needs have often been overlooked during the pandemic, according to the report.
In the report, the Children’s Convention Monitoring Group outlined what had worked for children in the Covid-19 response, and recommended ways to better implement children’s rights in laws, policies and practices.
Issues were divided into six areas examining whether children and young people were: loved, safe and nurtured; happy and healthy; learning and developing; accepted, respected and connected; involved and empowered.
There were lessons from Covid that needed to be implemented, Becroft said.
‘‘Successive governments over the last 30 years have deliberately chosen not to prioritise children.
‘‘It’s time to say ‘shame on us’. We could have done much better. We dropped the ball and Covid gave us the chance to pick it up and run with it as never before. That’s my plea.’’
Among the issues highlighted in the report were homelessness and mental wellbeing in people aged 16 to 18.
‘‘During March to June 2020, there was a 47 per cent increase in the number of 16-24-year-olds receiving emergency housing special needs grants,’’ the report said.
It also said physical distancing measures such as ‘‘stay at home’’ orders and school closures could increase symptoms of anxiety and depression in young people.
Becroft said many of these issues were already known, but Covid had exacerbated the situation for kids who were already in a tough situation.
‘‘Domestic violence, abuse and neglect were really difficult issues to deal with,’’ he said.
Definitive statistics were not available, but Becroft said police noticed an increase in cases during the Covid period.
‘‘The burden fell disproportionally on those who were doing it tough.’’
This included education, where a lack of digital devices was a problem for some children.
Research from 2020 found only 63 per cent of children had their own device, and 22 per cent had to share their device during lockdowns.
‘‘Only 74 per cent had access to sufficient data,’’ the report said. ‘‘Younger children and children in low-decile schools were more likely to have to share devices.’’
Becroft said at one Auckland school of 1600 pupils, 428 kids had no access to a digital device or the internet.
‘‘They were virtually excluded from online education during Covid.’’
He had heard of senior students not going back to school after lockdown, either because they had to get a job to support the family, or because they were looking after siblings so parents could work.
Becroft said positive overall trends were masking how much worse things had been for those at the bottom.
‘‘The real impacts were below the radar. That’s what this report tries to emphasise.’’
But the findings weren’t all negative. There was a significant decrease in hospitalisations for young children with respiratory infections last winter. Many children loved lockdown as they spent more time with their parents.
A ‘‘crystal-clear’’ point that came out of the report was the need to spend recovery money on children, he said.
Save the Children New Zealand’s research and advocacy director, Jacqui Southey, said in times of crisis, it was vital to have a transparent and co-ordinated approach that targeted the specific needs of children.
‘‘Without a dedicated child-centric response, children are missed,’’ Southey said.
‘‘In situations like a pandemic, clear steps need to be taken, and funding allocated by Government, to ensure all children are cared for and their needs met.’’
Assistant Ma¯ ori Commissioner for Children Glenis Philip-Barbara said the report highlighted that policy and decisionmakers should deliberately consider what was in the best interests of children, including tamariki and wha¯nau Ma¯ori, and to find ways for them to participate.
‘‘This report highlights the lessons learned about the pandemic response so far.
‘‘In particular, it draws on the experiences of coming together, including as Te Tiriti o Waitangi intended – shoulder to shoulder as equals with important contributions to make for the wellbeing of everyone.’’
‘‘The real impacts were below the radar.’’ Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft
Susan Tairua is grateful to have a comfortable place to call home, but living in support housing hasn’t been easy through Covid lockdowns in Auckland.
Tairua lives near the estuary in the North Shore suburb of Bayview with her husband Allan, an essential frontline worker, and her four kids aged 18 months, nine, eight and seven.
Last year, they were living in emergency motel accommodation, but shifted into transitional housing in October.
Like most Auckland families, they’ve experienced a rollercoaster of emotions during the past week at alert level 3.
There has been a lack of social interaction with friends, and many of the kids’ toys are still in storage, so it has been harder to keep them entertained.
Tairua said it was encouraging to have the children’s commissioner speak out on behalf of Kiwi families who were doing it tough. ‘‘It’s the kids who suffer, and that’s the sad thing,’’ she said.
‘‘Me and Allan, we can have a cry and get over it; the kids, not so much.’’
Tairua has been receiving treatment for her extreme anxiety, which has been made tougher by not being able to have a support person visit due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The conditions of their housing arrangement meant the family could not take their own possessions into the house, including Nova, their beloved pet dog. Nova is being looked after by relatives.
Tairua said it was tough for the kids to be separated from their furry friend during lockdowns.
‘‘When they do get to see Nova, they light up like a Christmas tree,’’ she said.
‘‘They all just want to cuddle up with her at night, and they miss her like crazy.’’
The announcement of a return to level 2 in Auckland means the older children can go back to school – albeit with a heightened awareness of keeping the kids safe from potential health risks.
It will also ease pressure on Allan, who has had to decontaminate each day when he returns home from work.
Tairua said his return provided a calming presence for everyone after a day spent in close quarters.
The couple married recently between lockdowns; a happy celebration amid a tough year.
Recently, when they can get out of the house, the family has bonded over a boat project.
Tairua said she was grateful to have a four-bedroom place to call home.
However, she longs for a more stable life for herself, and for her children especially.
‘‘The kids have made the comment that if we had our own home then they’d be able to be outside more.’’