Jacinda ARDERN

Spokesperson for Children                       

3 March 2013

MEDIA STATEMENT

Kiwi kids deserve more to celebrate on special day

Children’s Day 2013 marks the end of a less than happy year for too many Kiwi kids, and must act as a turning point for more positive leadership to lift their well-being, Labour’s Children’s spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says.

“There has been little progress on child poverty over the last 12 months, with 270,000 New Zealand children still living in households whose incomes aren’t enough to get by on.

“But it’s not just the basics like healthy food, warm homes, and medicines that these children are missing out on. Many are also living in situations that are unsafe, a fact borne out by an 11 per cent increase in recorded violent offences against children in the past year.

“Notifications to child youth and family for abuse and neglect also continue to climb.

“We can do so much better on behalf of our kids. There’s no shortage of ideas - putting food in low decile schools, establishing a Minister for Children role, reintroducing reading recovery for all children who need it, introducing targets to reduce child poverty, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour – but the Government needs to pick up the ball.

“Labour is busy building an alternative vision for children in New Zealand, which we look forward to sharing later in the year.

“Right now, National has to set its sights on having much more to celebrate next Children’s Day.”
 
ENDS

© Scoop Media

Metservice: Where Will Snow Fall And What To Look Out For

The deep Antarctic air that is expected to sweep across the country this week is bringing very significant weather to many provinces.Here's the official MetService view of the key weather concerns for the country.

MetService Media and Communications Meteorologist Dan Corbett commented,"While snow will be a major issue for those in the South Island, wind and hail will affect many North Island districts."

Snow is expected to fall to sea level, or very near it, from Southland to South Canterbury from late Wednesday into Thursday and Friday. The snow level is expected to rise to 200m from about Christchurch northwards... More>>