Su’a William Sio
Pacific Affairs spokesperson

2 September 2011

Too many Pasifika children living in poverty

It’s disturbing that more than 44,000 Pasifika children are growing up in poverty in New Zealand, Labour Pacific Affairs spokesperson Su’a William Sio says.

A report released today by Every Child Counts shows there are nearly 200,000 Kiwi kids living in poverty, 44,000 of whom are Pacific.

“As a community we must do better for our children,” Su’a William Sio said.

“All political parties need to be working on this issue, unfortunately National have declined requests for a cross party agreement on child welfare.

“Labour however, will not sit back and see a generation of Kiwi kids doomed to lives of poverty.

“We have already announced policies of raising the minimum wage, taking GST of fresh fruit and vegetables and having a tax system that is fair for everyone.

“Labour knows that if we want to improve the lives of children in New Zealand we need to start doing things differently.

“The need to change the way we deal with child poverty in this country is now urgent,” Su’a William Sio said.

ENDS

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