Stats show progress on child poverty
Latest statistics show thousands of children have been lifted out of poverty, as the Government’s work to tackle child poverty takes effect.
Figures released by Stats NZ this week show that 18,400 children have been lifted out of poverty over the past year. Seven out of nine child poverty measures have improved over the past year, compared to seven out of nine getting worse under the previous National government.*
While child poverty is a complex issue and will take time to fix, the figures show the Government is making progress, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
“Today we see the evidence that our $5.5 billion Families Package, which lifts the incomes of 384,000 families by an average of $65 a week, is starting to work to lift children out of poverty – but we know too that income is only part of the solution and that free lunches in schools are also helping kids to learn and easing pressure on families."
The Government aims to make New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child. The numbers are the first indication of how the Government’s policies to reduce child poverty are working. They cover the period from mid- 2017 to mid-2019 and capture a partial impact of the Families Package, which began rolling out in June 2018 and is yet to be fully implemented.
“Our plan to halve child poverty in 10 years is making a difference but there is more to do,” Jacinda Ardern said.
Read more here.
*Source: StatsNZ Child Poverty Statistics, 2016/17 vs 2017/18
**Source: StatsNZ Child Poverty Statistics, 2017/18 vs 2018/19”