Today is the day to act on child poverty, Mr Key

The Green Party is calling on John Key and National to support the Feed the Kids Bill in Parliament tonight, in the wake of a damning report from Amnesty International on inequality in New Zealand.

Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei’s Feed the Kids Bill is expected to come before Parliament this evening, and she is imploring the National Party to support it.

“The Government has a chance to address child hunger today by supporting the Bill to go to select committee. Then we can invite parents, teachers, kids and community organisations to talk about the best way to make sure our children have enough food to fuel their learning at school,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.

“Does John Key have the guts to vote for this? We need to put petty politics aside and face an issue that needs courage and resolve from all political parties. By not supporting the Bill to select committee stage, the Government is stopping us from having a conversation about the way to help Kiwi children who live in poverty.

“We can’t pretend hungry kids aren’t an issue. Kids are coming to school not having had breakfast, or without lunch. Some are missing out on both meals. It’s appalling,” said Mrs Turei.

“New Zealand’s entry in Amnesty’s global report does not make pretty reading for the Government. As a country, we have rejected international recommendations to address inequality. The Green Party and organisations that work in disadvantaged communities have been saying this for a long time, but now it’s being noticed around the world.

“Our lack of action on this issue is not only harming Kiwi kids, it’s also now embarrassing us globally. Having one of the highest rates of child poverty is not something to be proud of. We should be ashamed of ourselves.”

“Ensuring that Kiwi kids in need have access to a square meal a day won’t solve everything but it’s a start. We need to get the Bill to select committee so we can have a real discussion on child poverty and devise a strategy to tackle this rapidly escalating problem.”

ENDS

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