Report shows need for policy shift to address child poverty

17 February 2016

NZEI Te Riu Roa Te Riu Roa National President Louise Green says a report released today is further evidence that the government is failing to address the impact of its policies on poor children.

The Salvation Army’s latest State of the Nation Report shows that there has been limited progress in reducing child poverty levels.

“It is extraordinary that the government claims that the economy is working well when we have an unacceptably high number of children living in desperately poor situations.”

She says the report backs up what teachers, principals and education support staff have been saying about the effect that poverty has on education.

It says that “more effective teaching practices to close educational gaps will only take us so far if gaps around material hardship of broader opportunities are not addressed”.

"This again supports the findings of an OECD report released last week which showed that disadvantaged children in New Zealand are more than six times more likely to underachieve in maths than children from wealthier homes."

The Salvation Army report shows that while the number of children living on benefits has fallen, child poverty measures show little change since 2010.

“This is an indication that our wage rates are too low and that too many families with parents in work are living on incomes that are simply inadequate .

“That’s why NZEI Te Riu Roa supports the call for a living wage of $19.25 an hour, as well as for the government to address the chronic housing problem. Low income and poor housing have a hugely negative impact on the education and well-being of hundreds of thousands of children in this country."

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