Child poverty rates stall, government misses targets
There has been no significant change in the percentage of children living in poverty and the government has missed all its child poverty targets, new figures show.
StatsNZ data released on Thursday showed the number of children living in material hardship grew from 144,100 (12.5 percent) in 2023 to 156,600 (13.4 percent) in 2024.
The number of children living in low income households also grew.
StatsNZ said the increases across those measures were not statistically significant.
But it confirmed the government missed its targets across the three primary measures of child poverty.
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- 13.4 percent or one in seven children live in material hardship – going without things like heating, doctor’s visits and fresh fruit and vegetables because they cannot afford them (target: 9 percent). For tamariki Māori this figure was 23.9 percent, and for Pacific children it was 28.7 percent.
- 12.7 percent of children live in households with less than 50 percent of the median disposable income before housing costs are deducted (target: 10 percent). For tamariki Māori this was 15.2 percent and for Pacific children it was 14.8 percent.
- 17.7 percent of children live in households with less than 50 percent of the median disposable income after housing costs are deducted (target: 15 percent). For tamariki Māori this was 19.3 percent and for Pacific children this was 17.4 percent.
The “true rate” of child poverty was somewhere between 11.7 and 13.7 percent, household financial statistics senior insights analyst Ryan Sutcliffe said.
That level of uncertainty existed because just 19,000 of approximately 2 million households were surveyed. However the sample was designed so it was broadly representative of the country’s demographic makeup, he said.
Bullshit.
The true scope of poverty is far, far, far higher than these purposely blind statistical field.
What they’ve measured is Poverty ACROSS society rather how much actual poverty there is.
They’ve done this on purpose to hide the true scale of poverty in NZ, just like Labour did before them…
Of course there are other reasons to be even more alarmed. The official figures are so far out of date by the time they arrive and fail to cover the worst-off children whose families do not have a secure household address. Much more attention should have been paid to the consistent reports from the NGO sector such as foodbanks, budgeting services, ACM, Salvation Army, KidsCan and Variety. Charities report food insecurity is the number one reason so many are seeking help. The situation for the 2023/24 year, not reported until 2025, will doubtless show further deterioration as there are no policy changes in the past year to suggest otherwise and the voices from the NGOS are louder than ever.
…400 000 on welfare.
1 in 4 children going hungry.
Violence against children is rising.
Homelessness is rising.
Inequality is rising.
40% of communities have unaffordable rents.
Unemployment at 5.1% impacts Māori at 9.7% and Pacifica at 10.7%
Let’s be honest.
This Government doesn’t care about poor people.
Has anyone considered the possibility that Chris Luxon just hates New Zealand and New Zealanders?
He sends his kids to the American education system, he holidays in Hawaii and he loves Trump.
He has called NZers whiney and he puts us down when he’s overseas.
He infamously called poor people ‘Bottom feeders’.
I think he sees NZ the way he saw Air NZ.
First class was his class, business class are acceptable, economy class are ordinary while everyone who cant afford a ticket are bottom feeders.
He probably joked with the Pilots because he thought that was him talking with the working classes.
I don’t think Luxon actually likes New Zealand or New Zealanders.
Luxon crashed the economy with his Austerity Budget and is now blaming beneficiaries for burning in the fire he started!
I find the idea that we should actively punish Beneficiaries who are the collateral damage to his ideological policy pretty sickening…
…put aside the fact that Luxon is a rich prick, look at what he has done to the economy and then consider his lecturing towards beneficiaries:
He crashed the economy with an austerity budget that borrowed more for tax cuts and loopholes we couldn’t afford, and you is lecturing the poor?
HE HAS DONE THIS!!!
Blaming the victims of his economic policy is outrageous!
National are pushing 350,000 jobseekers to find work when there is no work because you collapsed the economy!
There are less than 11,000 jobs on Trademe and less than 5000 on Seek and National are demanding new sanctions against beneficiaries after sacking 9520 public sector workers!
Luxon is an evangelical Christian who believes in Prosperity Theology, it’s the same grift Bishop Brian Tamaki is part of, you are rich because Jesus has blessed you.
Luxon sees his 7 properties (he sold 3 right after the law changed and made huge money tax free from that decision) as a blessing from God and that’s why when he was challenged over getting extra over his housing allowance and Tesla subsidy, he could only say “I’m entitled”, because to refuse crowing about your good fortune and benefits is an affront to God who is giving him these blessings because Jesus lives him extra so much.
He’s a Christian nut job who wishes he was American who now wants to blame beneficiaries for an economy he has wrecked.
All he has is Nicola Willis, the right wing acolyte from the NZ Initiative to try and ‘save’ the Economy when all she has as a solution is more amputation of the State.
This is who we are now.
This is what we is.
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There is no justification for 20% of the population to be living with any sort of poverty .For years we have been propping up workers incomes because their income is not enough to pay for basics like a warm dry house and food along with clothing .When we started with these measures the bells should have started ringing .Clearly they have not because we continue down that path every year and in election year there is the scramble to see who can offer the biggest carrot .
The housing market has lead the charge with the greedy few buying as many houses as they can just so no one else can have them .Then they charge over the top rent and pay little or no tax on their total income .House prices need to be part of the CPI so the true inflation happening in the country can be seen .House prices inflate by 10% per year on average which is a massive hike .When food prices increase by that much everyone gets grumpy and calls for the hanging of supermarket ownwers ,but when house prices rise by the same amount there are street parties and orgasims all over the place followed by another inflation inducing borrowing spree to buy more houses .
The time has come to back up the truck and think of a new way foward instead of the never ending cycle of more people living in poverty .It is absolutly disgusting that everyone in NZ does not own a warm dry home and can feed their family without the government having to pay .
Nz farmers bleat about feeding 4 billion people a year ,which is a lie , yet as a country we cant feed our own 5 million .
A few years ago I was in Denmark. I noticed that there the government’s message to unemployed people was.
“If you do not have a job we will help you find one and we will support you in the meantime. If you want to study, or train, we will help you do that too.’
It is odd how the Danes manage unemployment without bullying. Maybe we inherited too much of the Victorian attitude that to be poor and jobless is criminal.
The MSM headlines should read.
“One Hundred And Fifty Six Thousand Children Living In Poverty When There Should Be None”.
Reporter: Ms Willis NZ is a pretty rich country right?
Reporter: Your in charge of the nations wealth and there are 156,000 children living in poverty in NZ. What day this year will you reduce that number to zero?
Slip…this government everywhere
Slop… their food in schools
Slap….every kiwi
The great summer of this CoC. We will need more than sunscreen for this lot.
No surprises here. all our conservatives are cucks and all our progressives are woke. NZ citizens are just a fucking nuisance to our so-called leaders.
What the rich cunts need to think about as they have caviar for lunch is the fact that these kids living in poverty are the next wave of gang members .National think we have a problem with 9000 wait till this 156000 come to market for the gangs .
More prisons being built under this government is all they have to offer .Those billions would go a long way to at least feeding these kids .We just need to look at whats happening in the world today .We have the USA using aggresion to manipulate countries ,then you see the Chinese using aid not weapons to achieve a far better out come for way less cost .Maybe we need to apply the Chinese way to solving our poverty
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