Newtown Puts Child Poverty on the Election Agenda

Local Green Party candidate, Luci Highfield, has organised a public meeting at Newtown School Hall, for local Wellingtonians to discuss child poverty and to make sure that it becomes an important election issue in the coming months.

Three speakers will be addressing the meeting, including Green MP, Sue Bradford, Newtown doctor, Annie Judkins and child poverty campaigner, Mike Coleman. The speakers will be followed by a panel discussion with questions and comments from Newtown residents and others who attend the meeting.

Sue Bradford, Green Party MP, is the Green Party spokesperson on children's issues and social service issues.

Annie Judkins is a GP at the Newtown Union Health Service with a strong interest in Child and Maternal Health. She is currently working on a Vitamin D deficiency and SECPHO Eczema Skin Care Project.

Mike Coleman is on the Every Child Counts project team. Every Child Counts is a new coalition of organisations and concerned citizens who are campaigning to encourage all political parties to put children at the centre of their policies.

“Sadly children living in poverty are a reality in Newtown and other parts of South Wellington.” said Luci Highfield. “Making child poverty an election issue is about making sure all children live in healthy communities where the adults they live with have jobs, houses, and health care.”

The meeting will be free and open to all Wellingtonians with an interest in issues relating to child poverty (although the organisers will be seeking a gold coin donation to help cover cost of venue hire).

Details of the meeting:

Date - Thursday 28 April 2005

Time - 7:30pm

Venue - Newtown School Hall, Mein Street, Newtown

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