Child poverty reduction must remain a priority – Labour

“Children should not be living in poverty, and the latest statistics are hugely concerning,” Labour child poverty reduction spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.

“There are huge challenges that families are facing right now, with high cost of living, high unemployment and housing – and significant work is needed to lift more children out of poverty.

“Labour is staunchly committed to child poverty reduction, and I am proud that it remained a priority for us throughout our time in government, even with the immense challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is still so much more work to do.

“The Government must put our tamariki first. Now is not the time to be bending over backwards for landlords and tobacco companies, instead we must focus on alleviating the struggle for families and their children who need our support most.

“Denying funding to food banks, stopping families from accessing emergency housing, and building no new public homes will only exacerbate these statistics. Stagnating benefits by tying increases to inflation instead of wage growth will mean less money for many families over time. Going against official advice on minimum wage increases means many of our poorest workers are going backwards.

“These statistics come after a recent report showing half of Pacific children sometimes go without food, and homelessness is increasing.

“I urge the Government to take these statistics seriously. Diminishing the child poverty targets to make it easier to achieve is a worrying sign they’re not.

“We made changes that lifted tens of thousands of children out of poverty while in government. Child poverty reduction must remain a priority for this Government too,” said Carmel Sepuloni.