Child Poverty Monitor Timely and Welcome

The New Zealand Living Wage Movement has welcomed the release of the first annual child poverty monitor today.

The Child Poverty Monitor is collaboration between the Office of the Children’s commissioner, the University of Otago’s NZ Child and youth Epidemiology Service and the JR McKenzie Trust.

“Child poverty is a growing crisis in New Zealand,” said Living Wage Movement Aotearoa New Zealand National Convenor, Annie Newman.

“The monitoring that will take place in this project over the next five years will make an important contribution to developing a comprehensive and timely response.”

Annie Newman said it was estimated that 40% of poor children in New Zealand live in families where at least one adult is in full time employment or self employed.

“This is absolutely unacceptable in a rich country such as New Zealand,” she said.

“Insecurity of work, coupled with low pay consigns many working families to poverty and the price of this poverty is borne by the whole community whether they are poor or not.

“We have known for a long time that income is the single most important determinant of health[1]. Families living in poverty reduce the fresh fruit and vegetables they eat, delay visits to the doctor, turn off heating and live in cramped conditions.

“Child poverty must be addressed on many fronts, and the establishment of a monitor is a significant step forward.”

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