Child Poverty: Break the cycle
The Prime Minister, John Key, made speech on election night about governing for all in New Zealand. He recognised there were issues raised during the election by the Green Party that need to be addressed, notably the environment and child poverty. But the real test is not the words in a speech, but what is actually done by the government to address the issues.
This week, the government’s response to the Expert Advisory Group on Child Poverty was belated released under the Official Information Act. Shamefully, it had been held back for 17 months, until after the election. The report confirmed that child poverty is a serious issue. Child poverty rates are 2-3 times higher than the rate of poverty amongst those over 65 years old, and double the rate in the 1980s. More than half the children in poverty are still in poverty seven years later. The high rate of child poverty, affecting one child in four, has implications for us all. Research has shown that inequality adds a burden of cost to society, lowers educational and health outcomes, and increases crime and violence. A pre-election opinion poll revealed that 80% of people consider that child poverty is a problem in New Zealand.
Personally, I have seen extreme poverty in the developing world, including in India, during several decades, most recently as head of Oxfam New Zealand. I feel proud that we as New Zealanders were able to offer new hope to people living without the basics of life. As well as helping the poorest communities, we also need to address poverty at home. While children in New Zealand do not suffer starvation or deprivation to the same degree, the impacts of poverty in this country are real. The report of the Expert Advisory Group clearly documents the impact of children going to school hungry, the lack of basic clothing and shoes, health problems from cold and damp houses and poor education provided by low decile schools and difficult home environments.
This week it became clear that the key question is whether the government will provide more funding to address child poverty. As the report stated, raising incomes of households with children in poverty “is positively associated with virtually every aspect of child wellbeing.” However, the government’s initial response is that there will be no new funding, only a re-allocation of the existing budget. Support to families with older children would be reduced and more would be provided to those with younger children. Crucially, the report says that children in beneficiary-headed households would not be given any more funding.
During the election campaign, the Green Party focused on solutions to child poverty and proposed more help for children whose parents are reliant on a benefit. This would stop their children bearing the brunt of punitive policies. If we are to break the vicious cycle of poverty, we must enable children to enjoy better opportunities and live better lives.
The Green Party has called on the government to end their ideological opposition to raising incomes and get serious about breaking the cycle of child poverty.
Barry Coates was a Green Party candidate for Mt Roskill and narrowly missed out on becoming an MP. He was formerly the Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand and has experience of international negotiations on trade, climate change and sustainable development. He has a Masters degree in management from Yale University.
The Prime Minister, John Key, made speech on election night about governing for all in New Zealand. He recognised there were issues raised during the election by the Green Party that need to be addressed, notably the environment and child poverty. But the real test is not the words in a speech,...
The Prime Minister, John Key, made speech on election night about governing for all in New Zealand. He recognised there were issues raised during the election by the Green Party that need to be addressed, notably the environment and child poverty. But the real test is not the words in a speech, but what is actually done by the government to address the issues.
This week, the government’s response to the Expert Advisory Group on Child Poverty was belated released under the Official Information Act. Shamefully, it had been held back for 17 months, until after the election. The report confirmed that child poverty is a serious issue. Child poverty rates are 2-3 times higher than the rate of poverty amongst those over 65 years old, and double the rate in the 1980s. More than half the children in poverty are still in poverty seven years later. The high rate of child poverty, affecting one child in four, has implications for us all. Research has shown that inequality adds a burden of cost to society, lowers educational and health outcomes, and increases crime and violence. A pre-election opinion poll revealed that 80% of people consider that child poverty is a problem in New Zealand.
Personally, I have seen extreme poverty in the developing world, including in India, during several decades, most recently as head of Oxfam New Zealand. I feel proud that we as New Zealanders were able to offer new hope to people living without the basics of life. As well as helping the poorest communities, we also need to address poverty at home. While children in New Zealand do not suffer starvation or deprivation to the same degree, the impacts of poverty in this country are real. The report of the Expert Advisory Group clearly documents the impact of children going to school hungry, the lack of basic clothing and shoes, health problems from cold and damp houses and poor education provided by low decile schools and difficult home environments.
This week it became clear that the key question is whether the government will provide more funding to address child poverty. As the report stated, raising incomes of households with children in poverty “is positively associated with virtually every aspect of child wellbeing.” However, the government’s initial response is that there will be no new funding, only a re-allocation of the existing budget. Support to families with older children would be reduced and more would be provided to those with younger children. Crucially, the report says that children in beneficiary-headed households would not be given any more funding.
During the election campaign, the Green Party focused on solutions to child poverty and proposed more help for children whose parents are reliant on a benefit. This would stop their children bearing the brunt of punitive policies. If we are to break the vicious cycle of poverty, we must enable children to enjoy better opportunities and live better lives.
The Green Party has called on the government to end their ideological opposition to raising incomes and get serious about breaking the cycle of child poverty.
Barry Coates was a Green Party candidate for Mt Roskill and narrowly missed out on becoming an MP. He was formerly the Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand and has experience of international negotiations on trade, climate change and sustainable development. He has a Masters degree in management from Yale University.
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