Category: Child Poverty

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Auckland community leader tired of telling governments how to combat youth offending

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dave Letele in studio with Guyon Espiner. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

A community leader in Auckland says he is tired of telling governments how to combat youth offending.

Fewer 10- to 17-year-olds went through the youth justice system in the year to June 2025 compared to the previous year, a new Ministry of Justice report has shown.

The Youth Justice Indicators report, published on Friday, said in the year to June 2025 the rate of police action against children decreased by 22 percent, and against young people by 9 percent.

The report defines those aged 10 to 13 years old as children, and 14- to 17-year-olds as young people.

However, Pacific young people experienced an increase in police action. Pacific young people were also more likely to experience a more serious response from the justice system than other groups, the report showed.

For example, 29 percent of Pacific young people proceeded against by police appeared in court, compared with 26 percent for the total population and 38 percent of the Pacific young people who appeared in the Youth Court were remanded into custody, compared with 32 percent for the total population.

Buttabean founder Dave Letele said that was not surprising to people like him who work with youth.

“Research like this is great because it tells the truth, and it’s not telling us anything we don’t know.

“But it’s frustrating because every time these reports are released, we keep having the same conversation.”

There was obviously a correlation between the high number of Pacific youth facing material hardship and going through the youth justice system, he said.

Data released by Stats NZ this week for the year to June 2025 showed one in seven children was living in hardship.

Letele said for Pacific children, it was one in three.

“Until all governments understand that they must invest in grassroots community-led programmes, and invest in them sustainably, so they’re not having to worry about funding all the time, nothing is going to change.

“I keep saying that, they just need to listen.”

Louise Upston. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Louise Upston earlier this week said reducing children’s material hardship was a priority in the government’s child and youth strategy.

“Our government is taking action to reduce child poverty by fixing the basics and building the future.”

She said the just-released statistics showed no statistically significant changes in the three primary child poverty measures compared to 2023/24.

“Our government has made a number of changes to improve the lives of Kiwi families, we’ve increased the in-work tax credit, lifted the threshold for Working for Families, provided working families with tax relief, reduced inflation and introduced FamilyBoost to make childcare more affordable.

“Unemployment is the last thing to come right after a recession and that is why our government is focused on growing the economy, reducing the number of people on the jobseeker benefit and reducing the number of children in benefit dependent households.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/28/auckland-community-leader-tired-of-telling-governments-how-to-combat-youth-offending/

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Country Life: An Oxford professor on the future of food and food production

Source: Radio New Zealand

Sir Charles Godfray from Oxford University is a population biologist and director of its Future of Food programme. Rebecca McMillan / Supplied

It is time for the food sector to have difficult conversations about its emissions, particularly beef and dairy. That was the message from a top UK scientist at the Riddet Institute’s Agrifood Summit.

Sir Charles Godfray from Oxford University is a population biologist and director of its Future of Food programme.

Addressing food security and sustainability at the Wellington gathering this week, he said while there had been concerns about how to feed a burgeoning population – expected to hit over 10 billion people by the 2080s – the bigger issue was how to feed them while ensuring adequate nutrition.

“We now know that if you bring people out of poverty, if you provide them with education, especially for girls, then human population fertility goes down. So we can now intellectually think about a time when humanity’s demands on the planet to produce food will plateau and even go down.”

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In particular, there were challenges about feeding an ageing population, Sir Charles said.

“Old people demand different, a different type of food than the younger people.”

Addressing protein deficits and improving diets, particularly in low-income countries, was another challenge facing the food sector with the “fetishisation of protein” in recent years.

Sir Charles said high- and middle-income countries like New Zealand had to avoid the “hypocrisy” of lecturing lower-income countries on how to manage this in a warming climate.

He thought it likely the world would begin to see more and more extreme events associated with climate, so that the effects of the food system on the climate and the climate on the food system would become “undeniable”.

“We need to have proper conversations about livelihoods and just transitions and how sectors can transform.

“When we talk about the challenges of milk and dairy in high-income countries, we must be very careful not to transpose those worries onto low-income countries, especially low-income countries where animal-based agriculture are so important.”

Sir Charles said it was possible ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, may become an important tool in addressing these challenges.

“There will be challenges in the global food system that may require foods that would be categorised as ultra-processed foods. If you think that UPFs are just the devil and can never be improved, then that is to me worrying because we will need these foods to address, for example, environmental things.”

While many contained “a lot of fat, a lot of sugar, a lot of salt” and were designed to be eaten very quickly, thus making them “energy dense” and increasing the risk of overconsumption, he said more work was needed to better understand their possible benefits as well as the harm they can cause.

Food producers had also yet to grapple with the consequences of the rise of GLP-1s – medication which mirrored our natural hormone GLP-1 to suppress appetites and regulate blood sugar levels.

Sir Charles said figures suggested about 15 percent of people in the US were using GLP-1s, and food companies like Nestlé were starting to develop products tailored to these needs.

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/28/country-life-an-oxford-professor-on-the-future-of-food-and-food-production/

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Have benefit sanctions actually worked?

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government introduced a traffic light system alongside financial and non-financial sanctions for beneficiaries who did not meet their obligations. RNZ / Quin Tauetau

Benefit sanctions have not worked – probably largely because there are not enough jobs for beneficiaries to move into, one economist says.

Rob Heyes, principal consultant at Infometrics, has looked at the experience of benefit sanctions introduced in 2024.

The government introduced a traffic light system alongside financial and non-financial sanctions for beneficiaries who did not meet their obligations.

It affects people on JobSeeker Support or Sole Parent Support who have work obligations, like being prepared for work, and taking part in Work and Income assessments, or social obligations such as caring for children.

If beneficiaries do not meet their obligations without good reason, they are moved to “orange” in the system. If they do not then get back on track within five days, they are shifted to “red”, at which point their benefit can be stopped or reduced.

Non-financial sanctions include such things as going on a course, keeping a record of job searches, having some of their benefit put on a payment card or being sent on community work experience.

“The new, tougher policy towards beneficiaries has certainly increased the number of benefit sanctions. In the September 2024 quarter, just over 14,400 sanctions were imposed on beneficiaries compared with just under 10,400 in the June quarter and just 7500 in the March quarter. Bear in mind that the traffic light system was introduced in August 2024 – halfway through the September quarter,” Heyes said.

The number had since declined to 12,900 in the September quarter last year. That was still double the number of sanctions over the three years before the new system was introduced.

But Heyes said only 1 percent of total beneficiaries were in the red zone, and another 1 percent at orange. That had been consistent, he said.

“If you look at the proportion of beneficiaries that are either orange or red, it’s tiny and that’s not a measure of the effectiveness of the policy … it’s a relatively small number of people who are under sanctions. So, the effectiveness of sanctions in getting people into work is always going to be small.”

He said in the 15 months to 25 September, about two-thirds of sanctions were because people had not attended Work and Income appointments or appointments with another service provider, or because they were not preparing for work. A relatively small number were for people not participating in work, he said.

Three-quarters of those sanctioned had their benefit reduced.

But people aged 15 to 24 were over-represented, making up 46 percent of all sanctions despite being only 19 percent of beneficiaries.

Men were also more likely to be sanctioned, at 68 percent of sanctions and 45 percent of beneficiaries. Māori and Pacific people were also more frequently sanctioned.

“Young people, Māori, and Pacific people are already over-represented in beneficiary statistics, which alone makes them more likely to receive sanctions. Being over-represented in sanctions statistics is a double whammy,” Heyes said.

“I wouldn’t want to suggest Work and Income are targeting men and young people more than other groups… working through all of this, the conclusion I came to was that I do hope that certainly before the policy was implemented and maybe afterwards as well, that ministers or officials are sitting down and having conversations with Work and Income staff.

“If I was the minister, I’d be wanting to talk to people who are the other side of the glass in Work and Income, talking to beneficiaries and have that on the ground understanding of how it works and how these sanctions work. The quantitative analysis is all well and good, but talking about people’s lived experience and you need that kind of information, I think, to really understand the nuance of that policy.”

He said the government expected the sanctions to push people into work but jobs were scarce and there were concerns people could end up pushed into poor-quality work or out of the system and into worse poverty.

He said the Ministry of Social Development could not give data about people coming off sanctions and finding work because it could not link the sanction and the job.

“If it is difficult to track someone who enters work, it will be even harder to track other outcomes. If people sink further into poverty and more vulnerable circumstances, they are more likely to fall through the cracks and therefore not show up in any datasets.”

He said it was not the best time to have implemented this sort of policy.

“There simply aren’t a great deal of jobs for people to go into.

“When jobs start to appear, then it might be more effective. But as I say, the numbers that have been sanctioned are so small you probably wouldn’t see a big difference.”

The government set a target of 50,000 fewer people on JobSeeker Support by 2030, Heyes noted.

“Using the December 2023 quarter as its base, that’s a fall from 190,000 to 140,000. When the traffic light policy was introduced in the September 2024 quarter, the number of Jobseeker Support recipients had risen to just under 205,000 and by the September 2025 quarter, the number had risen again to 218,000.”

He said it could be argued that JobSeeker numbers would be even higher without sanctions “but that’s a hard sell when job vacancies are so scarce. I think it works best when the labour market is creating lots of jobs. You’ve got to strike a balance between pushing people too hard and not pushing them hard enough”.

“I think that JobSeekers do have obligations, they’re effectively earning a wage from the taxpayers. There are obligations and there’s not a sanction at the moment in New Zealand for not getting into work. It’s about looking for work. I’m reasonably comfortable with it.”

But he said it was worth considering whether financial sanctions were necessary when non-financial sanctions were available.

“You’ve got major charities like the Salvation Army saying people are coming to us who’ve had their benefits cut … that’s not really helping anyone.”

Social Development Minister Louise Upston has been approached for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/have-benefit-sanctions-actually-worked/

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Visually impaired Kiwis have lower life expectancy and make less money, research finds

Source: Radio New Zealand

Lead researcher Cain Richardson said the difference in life expectancy was stark. 123rf

New research has found blind or visually impaired New Zealanders die 9 years earlier on average, and make significantly less money.

The report by Blind and Low Vision NZ used anonymised data from StatsNZ to compare the experience of people with visual impairments to other groups.

Lead researcher Cain Richardson told Nine to Noon the difference in life expectancy was stark.

The average age of death for severely visually impaired people was 71, compared to the wider average of 80.

“The stories I’ve heard from a lot of my blind colleagues and friends is anecdotal stories of blind people living shorter lives from things such as, if you have advanced bowel cancer and you don’t have eyesight you’re not going to be able to see blood in your stool, so you’re not going to be picking it up until advanced stages of the disease,” he said.

“It was interesting taking anecdotal stories like that and being able to confirm it through a median age of death.”

Richardson said working-age blind people also made significantly less money than the broader population.

“60 percent of the severely visually impaired population have a calendar year income between 20 and 40,000 dollars a year, which is reflective of what you would receive on the benefit, and then that’s going to have snowball effects onto the rest of your life course outcomes,” he explained.

“What it does capture is the true cost of blindness, in the sense your poverty limits your agency and the ability to make choices to effect your other life course outcomes.”

Andrea Midgen, the CEO of Blind and Low Vision NZ, said the report provided empirical evidence to back the organisation’s campaigning.

“Without this data we can’t make strong evidence-based decisions or advise the government effectively, it really tells us where support is most needed,” she said.

“There’s a lot of policy changes we would like to promote. Particularly at the moment it’s about employment and things like accessibility.”

“There are perceptions out there that people from our community can’t do a job like anybody else, and the lack of awareness and education in this space is a really serious issue.”

Midgen said future studies would hone in on specific issues impacting the blind community.

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/visually-impaired-kiwis-have-lower-life-expectancy-and-make-less-money-research-finds/

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Ki Tua O Matariki Warns Government That “Move-On” Powers Targeting Homeless Whānau will have negative consequences

Source: Ki tua o Matariki

Ki Tua O Matariki Warns Government That “Move-On” Powers Targeting Homeless Whānau will have negative consequences
Ki Tua o Matariki strongly encourages the Government to reconsider the expansion of “Move-on Orders” under amendments to the Summary Offences Act, which would allow Police to direct people to leave public spaces nationwide and impose penalties for non-compliance.
Under the proposed changes, individuals who breach a move-on order could face fines of up to $2,000 or up to three months’ imprisonment. These powers are expected to apply across town centres and may impact rangatahi as young as 14.
Ki Tua o Matariki does not want to see the Government make decisions it may later regret. The long-term consequences of punishing whānau in need risk creating mistrust, causing whānau to withdraw from visibility and support, and allowing their needs to deepen. We remain committed to supporting the Government to make decisions that uplift and protect our whānau and communities, and to ensure policies do not unintentionally cause further harm.
“From our experience, punishing people who cannot afford necessities such as housing, food, or transport does not reduce homelessness- it deepens fear and mistrust,” says Zoe Witika-Hawke, Chief Executive of Ki Tua o Matariki. “For whānau to engage in support, trust must come first. Pushing people further into the criminal justice system moves them away from the very support that enables long-term wellbeing. Evidence shows that prison does not resolve homelessness, addiction, or mental health challenges. We welcome the opportunity to work alongside Government and communities to implement solutions that strengthen whānau and create the Aotearoa we all want.”
Māori are disproportionately affected by homelessness in Aotearoa. Severe Housing Deprivation estimates from the 2023 Census show tens of thousands of people experiencing homelessness or unstable housing conditions, with Māori significantly over-represented in rough sleeping, overcrowding, and insecure housing. Māori women are particularly impacted, with sector research indicating four out of five homeless women in Aotearoa are Māori.
This amendments of the Summary Offences Act, reflects a concerning assumption that people sleeping rough have somewhere else to go,” says Hineraukura, founding member of the Māori maternal mental health advisory group Hine Ki Te Wheiao. “It prioritises public comfort over addressing the structural drivers of homelessness, including inflation, rising living costs, and housing insecurity. Treating homelessness as a behavioural issue rather than a systemic one risks ignoring the economic realities many whānau are facing. We believe the focus must shift toward practical, compassionate solutions that respond to the real pressures impacting our communities”
Any policy that increases enforcement without increasing housing supply and wraparound support risks disproportionately impacting whānau and deepening inequities already present in our system. At Ki Tua o Matariki, we see firsthand that homelessness is rarely about choice. It is connected to poverty, intergenerational trauma, mental health challenges, addiction, and systemic inequity. Our communities – Māori and non-Māori – deserve better.
Ki Tua o Matariki provides tailored tautoko for mātua taiohi, hapū māmā, their pēpi, and wider whānau. Alongside safe housing, we provide:
– Mental health support
– Transport assistance
– Counselling access
– Education and employment pathways
– Nursing and midwifery care
– Kaupapa Māori wānanga
– Weekly wraparound support
We know what works: stability, trusted relationships, cultural grounding, and consistent support.
Ki Tua o Matariki remains committed to supporting the Government to make decisions that strengthen whānau wellbeing and community safety, while ensuring policies do not unintentionally cause further harm. “Move-on” powers are not solutions to homelessness. Solutions lie in investing in housing, prevention, and culturally grounded wraparound support. We encourage the Government to prioritise policies that care for whānau, rather than moving them out of sight – these are the kinds of policies that Government will not regret.
Our communities deserve public policy grounded in manaakitanga, not punishment.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/ki-tua-o-matariki-warns-government-that-move-on-powers-targeting-homeless-whanau-will-have-negative-consequences/

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Families making impossible decision amid child poverty crisis

Source: Radio New Zealand

123rf

Child poverty activists say families are having to make impossible decisions and go without life’s essentials following the release of new Stats New Zealand data.

The statistics agency said one in seven kids are living in material hardship, according to research conducted between July 2024 and June last year.

Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston has said reducing child poverty was a priority and that the government is making changes to improve the lives of families.

Advocates were calling for change after the latest data on child material hardship did not show a statistically significant difference compared to 2024 and 2018.

But it did show a statistically significant increase compared to 2022.

The Children’s Commissioner said the data shows there are 47,500 more children in material hardship in 2025 than there was in 2022 (169,300 compared to 121,800).

Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad said affected kids were going without key life essentials.

“I’m talking about things like access to fresh fruit and vegetables, being able to go to the doctor or the dentist, being able to have a good bed to sleep in.

Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

“I think we can all agree no child in New Zealand should be going without these things.”

Dr Achmad said half of the children in poverty had parents that were in work – so it was important people have pay that can lift kids out of deprivation.

She said child poverty needs to be a priority for successive governments.

“Children cannot wait for our economy to improve. Children get one chance at childhood, and we’ve got to act and get this right now.”

Child Poverty Action Group communications manager Isaac Gunson said some families were being forced to make ” impossible decisions”.

“They are paying power and rent so they can keep the lights on and keep a roof over their head, and they are going to see if there is anything for them at the foodbank.

“No one in this country should be having to make decisions like that.”

Social advocate and BBM founder Dave Letele said there needed to be change.

Social advocate and BBM founder Dave Letele. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Unless support was provided, Letele said the conditions kids lived in would deteriorate.

“The New Zealand that our grandkids grow up in will be even worse. It is going to be seen more unsafe.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the current stats weren’t good enough.

“We want to see a reduction in child poverty, but I also have to acknowledge it has been an incredibly difficult time.”

Luxon said it was important the economy was run well for low-income New Zealanders.

Upston said reducing kids’ material hardship was a priority in the government’s child and youth strategy.

Upston said they have made a number of changes to improve the lives of Kiwi families such as the in-work tax credit and introducing their FamilyBoost policy for childcare.

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/families-making-impossible-decision-amid-child-poverty-crisis/

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Child poverty stats highlight Government’s failing record

Source: Green Party

The Green Party is calling out this Government’s record on child poverty following the release of the latest child poverty statistics.  

“It’s clear this Government has done nothing to reduce child poverty, choosing landlords and the wealthy over our tamariki,” says Green Party Co-leader and Child Poverty spokesperson, Marama Davidson.  

“Today’s figures show 1 in 7 children are living in material hardship. That means their households are struggling to afford their basics needs: food, clothing, heating and transport.  

“For Māori and pacific children, the numbers remain abysmal with 1in 4 tamariki Māori and nearly 1 in 3 Pasifika children living in material hardship.  

“Whānau across this country are doing everything they can for their tamariki. They shouldn’t have to fight this hard just to cover the basics. Every child in Aotearoa deserves a warm, dry home, a bed of their own, and a full belly. 

“Aotearoa has more than enough for every whānau to thrive. This isn’t a resource problem, it’s a political choice.” 

“These numbers are not just statistics. Behind every data point is a child going to school hungry, a family choosing between heating and eating, a pēpi growing up without the basics they need to thrive.   

“Instead of acting, this Government has watered down its child poverty reduction targets, slashed benefit increases, and ramped up punitive sanctions on families already doing it tough.   

“The data is clear: over the course of this Government’s term, there has been no meaningful improvement in child poverty.   

“Luxon has had no trouble finding billions in tax breaks for property investors. He’s made his choice, and it wasn’t our kids.  

“Aotearoa has more than enough for everyone to thrive. What we lack is a Government with the ambition and the heart to put our mokopuna first.   

“We can’t keep tinkering around the edges while a generation of tamariki is being set up to fail. Our mokopuna deserve nothing less,” says Marama Davidson. 

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/child-poverty-stats-highlight-governments-failing-record/

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Government policies are increasing child poverty

Source: NZCTU

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi president Sandra Grey is blaming the Government for new data released by Stats NZ today that shows child poverty continuing to be a stain on New Zealand.

“Working to reduce inequality for families should be the top priority for politicians. This Government was elected to reduce costs, but their policies are leading to increased poverty and material hardship,” said Grey.

“Child poverty continues to trend upwards. The data shows that one in eight children live in poverty before housing costs, one in six after housing costs. That means one in seven children living are living in material poverty. There has been little improvement in the data over the past year, and on all three core measures of poverty the data has got worse since 2023.

“The biggest worry should that 23,700 more children are living in material poverty since 2023, up 16%. That means that they are going without the absolute basics including food, clothing, and heating.

“Progress on reducing child poverty has gone backwards over the past two years and it’s no wonder given the Government is making the cost-of-living crisis worse. They have cut the minimum wage in real terms, kept benefits low, and increased costs for essentials including prescriptions and travel costs.

“Tackling child poverty should be a top priority of this Government, but instead they are focused on cutting services to fund tax cuts for landlords and big business,” said Grey.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/government-policies-are-increasing-child-poverty/

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Save the Children: Child poverty figures demand Government action to address stagnation

Source: Save the Children

Thursday 26 February 2026 – Save the Children: Child poverty figures demand Government action to address stagnation.

Save the Children is calling on the Government to strengthen its response to child poverty following the release of the latest Child Poverty Statistics today.
Statistics for the year ending June 2025 released by Stats NZ show no annual change in child poverty rates. The figures show that the number of children experiencing hardship in their everyday lives has largely remained the same, with specific groups of children – including mokopuna Māori, Pasifika and disabled children and those living in sole parent households – particularly impacted by poverty.
The data shows that despite the aims of the Child Poverty Reduction Act to achieve a significant and sustained reduction in child poverty, rates have largely remained the same for the past five years.
Save the Children New Zealand’s Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey says while public reporting is important for transparency and accountability, the figures represent real children experiencing hardship every day.
“Behind every statistic is a child growing up in a household trying to survive on too little,” says Ms Southey. “Too little income, too little food security, and too little stability. Living on too little limits children’s wellbeing now and their opportunities in the future.”
New Zealand has legislated targets to reduce child poverty, yet recent years have shown progress stalling and, in some measures, reversing since 2021. Gains made between 2018 and 2021 have been eroded.
In 2025, one in seven children were living in material hardship, rising to one in four for tamariki Māori and disabled children, and jumping to one in three for Pacific children. Nearly 80 percent of households on the lowest incomes were sole parent households, living on an average disposable income of less than $46,000.
“An income at that level is simply not enough to provide a decent standard of living for children and families in Aotearoa,” Ms Southey says.
Save the Children is concerned that continued high living costs, low wage growth and rising unemployment are placing additional pressure on families, with more households relying on welfare and hardship assistance. Rising food insecurity, increasing preventable hospital admissions and higher rates of violence against children are all indicators closely linked to deprivation.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly urged New Zealand to prioritise child poverty reduction because of its immediate and long-term impacts on children’s development and wellbeing.
Ms Southey says addressing child poverty requires sustained investment in lifting incomes for families on the lowest incomes and strengthening the welfare and income support system.
“Paid work alone will not solve child poverty. Some families are locked out of the labour market due to illness, disability or caring responsibilities. Others are working but earning too little to keep pace with the cost of living.”
“If we are serious about eliminating child poverty, we must invest in income support, housing security and food security so children can thrive, not just survive.”
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/save-the-children-child-poverty-figures-demand-government-action-to-address-stagnation/

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Child material hardship climbs to 10-year high – CPAG

Source: Child Poverty Action Group

The number of children living in material hardship has reached a 10-year high, with 14.3% of children, nearly 170,000 children, living in material hardship.
Figures released by Stats NZ this morning show the number of children living in material hardship hasn’t been this high since 2015, and marks the third consecutive annual rise in child material hardship.
“Today’s figures are worrying but not surprising,” says Child Poverty Action Group Executive Officer Lyn Amos.
“Child poverty rises when incomes at the bottom fall behind the cost of living. We know what works: lift incomes, index supports to wages, and properly fund services. New Zealand has reduced child poverty before and can do so again.”
Analysis:
14.3% of children, around 169,300, are living in material hardship, which from this year is measured using the MH18 index rather than the DEP17 index.
This year’s material hardship rate is the highest number Stats NZ has on record since 2015, and has seen a significant increase since 2022, when the rate was 10.6%, or around 121,800.
It remains higher than the baseline year of June 2018, when the rate was 13.3%, or around 150,900.
The BHC50 figure, which measures the number of children growing up in households that earn less than half of a normal family income, is around 12.6%, or 148,700 chuldren.
This has remained roughly similar for the last three years, but is lower than the baseline year of 2017/18, when the rate was 16.5%, or around 183,400 children.
The AHC50 (fixed) figure, which measures the number of children growing up in households that don’t have enough money left to live on once rent is paid (compared to what counted as a basic living standard in 2017/18), is 17.8%, around 210,600 children. This is down from the baseline year of 22.8%, around 253,800 children.
The organisation’s research and programme officer, Dr Yu Shi, says inflation’s silent cuts to incomes are making families’ experience of material hardship tougher.
“Indexing income support to general inflation rather than wage growth means families are being punished by the costs of housing, utilities and food, which are all rising faster than average inflation,” says Dr Shi.
Even if the Government isn’t actively cutting income support, rising rents have meant the real value of accommodation supplements are falling, and with thresholds for Best Start and Family Tax Credits remaining largely frozen since 2018 [CR1] , inflation is effectively performing cuts to families’ incomes.
“The Government’s Budget Policy Statement leaves practically no fiscal headroom for the wealth transfers needed to reduce child poverty this year. As a result, its statutory child poverty targets are mathematically impossible to achieve under these settings.”
The Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018 introduced a target to reduce material hardship rates among children to 6% by 2028.
Despite reaching a recorded low of 10.6% in 2022, today’s announcement by Stats NZ, showing material hardship rates to the year ended June 2025 are at 14.3%, all but confirms the Government will not reach this target.
It also set targets to lower the percentage of children growing up in families that earn less than half of a normal family income, not counting housing costs (BHC50) to 5%, and reduce the rate of children in families that don’t have enough money left to live on once rent is paid, compared to what counted as a basic living standard in 2017/18 (AHC50) to 10%.
It is worth noting that the scale of poverty continues to rise for two years. The number of children living in a family with little money left after paying rent is over 353,000, comparable with the former peak in 2008, the Global Financial Crisis.
Today’s figures show the weight of poverty is being predominantly carried by tamariki Māori, Pasifika children and children in households with disabilities, whose experience of poverty is consistently higher than the average New Zealand population.
“A quarter of tamariki Māori are living in material hardship. Nearly a third of Pasifika children are, too. Where is the urgent action needed from the Government?”, asks Child Poverty Action Group’s Isaac Gunson.
“How many more generations of tāngata whenua, tagata moana, and tāngata whaikaha must bear the deeply unjust weight of poverty before the Government steps up and gives them a fair shot at life?”
“Young people with disabilities face higher, lifelong costs due to healthcare needs, and are being penalised in their formative years by poverty. There is no decision being made in by children experiencing poverty that prolongs their hardship more than the decisions made for them in Wellington,” Gunson says.
“The solutions are clear because they’ve worked: in the initial years after the Child Poverty Reduction Act came into law, we saw significant reductions in child poverty rates.”
“All we need now is for that action to be sustained, and the same political will to meet the moment and ensure our youngest generations can flourish free from poverty.”

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/child-material-hardship-climbs-to-10-year-high-cpag/

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Increasing household income offset by higher housing costs in year to June 2025 – Household income and housing-cost statistics: Year ended June 2025 – Stats NZ news story and information release

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Increasing household income offset by higher housing costs in year to June 2025 – news story
26 February 2026

Household income increased at a slightly higher rate than housing costs in the year ended June 2025, according to data released by Stats NZ today.

Average weekly household disposable income increased from $1,977.70 to $2,077.70 in the 12 months to June 2025, up 5.1 percent from the previous year (not adjusting for inflation).

Housing costs also increased between June 2024 and June 2025, for households with housing expenditure, the average weekly cost for housing increasing from $457.90 in 2024 to $478.00 in 2025, up 4.4 percent.

“While household income increased in the year ended June 2025, increasing housing costs meant households were spending a similar proportion of their income on housing as the previous year,” household financial statistics spokesperson Victoria Treliving said.

Follow the links for full information release and to download CSV files:

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/increasing-household-income-offset-by-higher-housing-costs-in-year-to-june-2025-household-income-and-housing-cost-statistics-year-ended-june-2025-stats-nz-news-story-and-informati/

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No annual change in child poverty rates for year ended June 2025 – Child poverty statistics: Year ended June 2025 – Stats NZ news story and information release

Source: Statistics New Zealand

No annual change in child poverty rates for year ended June 2025 – news story
26 February 2026

No statistically significant movements occurred in child poverty rates in the year ended June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

“While child poverty rates haven’t changed compared to the previous year, there have been decreases in two of the primary measures of child poverty since the year ended June 2018,” social and environment spokesperson Abby Johnston said.

There is no single official measure of child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018 (the Act) sets out a multi-level, multi-measure approach, consisting of four primary and six supplementary measures.

Follow the links for full information:

Information release and to download CSV files:

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/no-annual-change-in-child-poverty-rates-for-year-ended-june-2025-child-poverty-statistics-year-ended-june-2025-stats-nz-news-story-and-information-release/

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Child poverty statistics show that children are being let down by flawed economic model

Source: WEAll Aotearoa New Zealand

The latest child poverty statistics released today show our country is backsliding on any of the progress made since the Child Poverty Reduction Act was passed.
While Statistics NZ reports no statistically significant change in headline child poverty rates in the year ended June 2025 compared with June 2024, the longer-term trend shows that hardship has increased.
The percentage of children living in households experiencing material hardship was 13.3 percent in the year ended June 2018. That figure steadily declined to 10.6 percent by 2022, but has since risen again to 14.3 percent in the year ended June 2025, now higher than the 2018 baseline.
Rates are significantly higher for some groups. In the year ended June 2025:
  • 25.1 percent of tamariki Māori are living in material hardship
  • 31 percent of Pacific children, and 
  • 26.9 percent of disabled children.
WEAll Aotearoa Director Gareth Hughes says material hardship is an important measure: “At its heart, it measures whether a family can afford the basics for a life of dignity. Things like being able to keep the house warm, wearing shoes in good condition, having fresh fruit and vegetables, and kids being able to have a birthday or Christmas present.”
Previously, the Minister of Finance has said “The most fundamental thing that will help those targets is if we have a faster-growing economy with lower unemployment, better wage growth”.
Yet, Professor Paul Dalziel, Research Economist for WEAll says the data shows economic growth does not reduce child poverty.
“New Zealand’s GDP per person grew by around 75 per cent between 1984 and 2024. Yet children living in low income households increased from 14% to 21%,” Dalziel said.
“For 40 years, we’ve tested the theory that growth will lift children out of poverty. The evidence shows it does not.”
Hughes says we need to shift gears. “Instead of assuming trickle-down economics or more ambulances at the bottom of the cliff will solve the problem, we need a deliberate redesign of our economic system to tackle inequality”.
One practical alternative is the economic development approach of Community Wealth Building. This approach focuses on keeping wealth circulating locally: strengthening employment, supporting local enterprises, and building resilient regional economies.
“We need new jobs that pay living wages. We need to unlock community wealth building so prosperity stays in local communities instead of being siphoned out of them,” he said.
“That means using public investment, local procurement, and anchor institutions to build strong regional economies where families have the resources they need.”
“Scotland just passed a law making this mandatory for central and local government and we should follow their lead.”
Hughes says, “the persistence of child and whanau poverty in a wealthy country reflects a flawed economic system, and these numbers show New Zealand’s economic model is failing future generations”.
“An economy that works for future generations must put people at the centre,” Hughes says. “Right now, we’re measuring success in GDP while thousands of children grow up without what they need to thrive.”
“A wellbeing economy recognises that children’s wellbeing today shapes the country’s social and economic future. Their wellbeing should be treated as a core economic indicator”.
Hughes said the country faces a clear choice: “We can continue chasing growth and hope it trickles down (although we know it won’t). Or we can build an economy designed from the start to ensure every child has enough to thrive.”

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/26/child-poverty-statistics-show-that-children-are-being-let-down-by-flawed-economic-model/

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SUDAN: Children killed on first day of Ramadan must spur urgent action to protect every child – Save the Children

Source: Save the Children

As families across Sudan marked the first day of Ramadan, children were reportedly among those killed in renewed violence, underscoring the urgent need for international action to protect children after nearly three years of war, Save the Children said.
At least 18 people, including children, were killed on Wednesday when a drone strike hit a water collection point in Umm Rusum village, located in Al-Sunut locality of West Kordofan State, according to local media .The latest deaths came as a United Nations fact-finding mission said that atrocities committed in El-Fasher in Darfur bore the hallmarks of genocide, with the report documenting widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, including women and children.
Save the Children said urgent action is needed to protect civilians especially children, with Sudan’s children remain trapped in a relentless war that has shattered communities, caused the world’s largest displacement crisis impacting 15 million people, and pushed families to the brink of famine.
Francesco Lanino, Deputy Country Director of Programmes and Operations for Save the Children in Sudan, said: “Ramadan should be a time of peace, reflection and family. Instead, children in Sudan are being killed in their homes and in places where they should be safe. No child should ever pay the price for a conflict they did not create.
“Reports from the UN about the scale of atrocities in El Fasher should shock the conscience of the world. Children are not only caught in the crossfire but in many cases, they are directly targeted or suffer the long-term consequences of displacement, hunger and trauma. At the very least parties to the conflict must commit to an immediate ceasefire during the holy month of Ramdan, allowing families to observe this sacred period in safety and dignity. This should serve as first step toward a sustained and meaningful cessation of hostilities.
“Sudan’s children cannot wait. The international community must move beyond statements of concern and take concrete action to protect children’s lives, uphold international law and ensure those responsible for atrocities are held to account.”
Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 and is currently supporting children and their families across Sudan providing health, nutrition, education, child protection and food security and livelihoods support. 
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/23/sudan-children-killed-on-first-day-of-ramadan-must-spur-urgent-action-to-protect-every-child-save-the-children/

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NZ-funded chatbot to support Ukrainian children’s mental health after four years of war – World Vision

Source: World Vision

This week as Ukraine marks the grim anniversary of four years of war and a growing mental health crisis, World Vision New Zealand is funding a digital chatbot to help caregivers support children living through conflict.

Four years of armed combat, bombings, and death have scarred children and nearly 85% of households report psychosocial distress among children, with nearly one-third of under-fives showing visible signs of anxiety and trauma [i]

World Vision New Zealand Acting Head of Fragile and Developing Contexts, Andy Robinson, says the impact of the war on children will last generations.

“Children in Ukraine are growing up feeling unsafe and scared.  Many have been separated from their fathers, and many will have witnessed death and violence at close quarters.

“We’re seeing high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.  Professional mental health services are limited and families are overwhelmed.   World Vision hopes that this digital chatbot will give parents practical ways to support their children’s mental health and wellbeing right now,” he says.

The Parenting in Crisis Chatbot, locally named Batkivska Opora, is a digital tool that provides Ukrainian caregivers with evidence-based guidance on child protection, psychosocial support, and positive parenting amid the ongoing war.

In partnership with Parenting for Lifelong Health, it delivers practical, culturally-adapted guidance via messaging platforms using text, audio, illustrations, and short videos, and provides strategies for stress management, positive parenting, and child protection.

Its flexible, low-bandwidth format ensures access, even in remote or low-connectivity areas.

“This is not a replacement for professional care, but it will help parents who are already struggling with displacement, lost jobs, reduced income, and ongoing security concerns who tell us that they don’t have the resources to support their children effectively,” Robinson says.

A recent World Vision report found that access to protection and mental health services was extremely limited in Ukraine with only 28% of households reporting that they are able to access services from NGOs or UN agencies, leaving 72% without child protection or mental health support at a time of heightened vulnerability.[ii]

The chatbot will initially be trialled with around 500 parents before being scaled-up to reach thousands and complements World Vision’s other work to support children and families in Ukraine. 

World Vision’s Ukraine Response Director, Arman Grigoryan, says children and families are currently suffering not only the perils of war, but of an extremely cold winter.

“Winter intensified the risk facing children.  It compounds learning loss, emotional distress, and protection concerns all at once.  When power cuts disrupt schooling and displacement interrupts in-person education, children suffer and lose stability.  Children and families in Ukraine need extra support in winter – it is a life-saving intervention,” he says.

More than half of families report disruption to their children’s education. A quarter of children are unable to attend school due to unsafe conditions, and a third cannot access online learning because of power outages.[iii]

As Ukraine enters another winter at war, World Vision New Zealand is calling on New Zealanders to help expand support for children and families facing prolonged trauma.

To help support Ukrainian children, visit www.wvnz.org.nz/CHR

Notes:  

World Vision New Zealand is a children’s charity working to overcome poverty and injustice so that children can build a brighter future.  World Vision works to support the most vulnerable children in more than 100 countries around the world.

World Vision has been working in Ukraine since the war began in 2022 and in that time has supported more than 2.3 million people, including more than one million children.  World Vision has provided food, non-food items, cash assistance, protection, education, livelihoods, and mental health support.  We operate in 22 of Ukraine’s 24 regions and continue to deliver both immediate relief and long-term recovery programmes.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/23/nz-funded-chatbot-to-support-ukrainian-childrens-mental-health-after-four-years-of-war-world-vision/

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Fatal dog mauling: Animal control staff visited property day before attack

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police at the scene of the fatal attack. RNZ

Animal control officers visited the property where Mihiata Te Rore was mauled to death four times, including the day before the attack.

Te Rore, 62, was visiting a person she knew at a property in the small Northland town of Kaihu when she was attacked and killed on Tuesday.

Police say the three dogs involved lived at the property.

Te Rore is the third person to be killed by dogs in Northland in the past four years, sparking calls for more to be done by local and central government to deal with the growing problem.

Police have been at the taped-off home where Te Rore died on Tuesday.

In a statement, Kaipara District Council said there had been four complaints about the dogs in November, December and this week, and had responded to each request on the same day.

“Staff visited the property on multiple occasions to attempt to speak to the owner, including reaching out to family and iwi liaison. When the dogs were seen they were on the property.

“In December staff managed to speak with the owner about compliance and keeping the dogs secure, including consequences if this did not occur. In February they visited the property twice, including the day before, but were unable to talk to the owner or uplift the dogs.”

The council said there had also been “multiple” proactive patrols in the area, looking for any loose dogs, including a door knock of every property along Kaihu Wood Road (no loose dogs were sighted during these patrols).

“Dog owners are responsible for their dogs – they have a legal responsibility to look after and control their animals but we also acknowledge that council’s animal control plays an important role in managing risks in the community. Our staff work with dog owners across the district every single day and are devastated that any such incident, in this case on private property, has occurred in Kaipara.

“We have a very small but extremely passionate team covering the whole of the district, and in their role they deal with a wide range of owners and dogs daily, often in complex and challenging situations.”

It said its animal management team was investigating the incident.

“The three dogs were secured after the event and have been impounded, and will be destroyed as soon as police have finished their investigation.”

‘All four have pack attacked my dog’

A local – who RNZ has agreed not to name – said authorities were warned in the past year about issues with the dogs.

He has had his own experience with the four dogs he says live at the property.

“They’ve actually come onto my property and attacked my dog,” he said.

“They pack attacked him, all four have pack attacked my dog, and that was just over six months ago.”

Like many in the community, he was frightened.

“It is quite stressful because you don’t even know if you’re going to get attacked and for me, I’ve got to go out my drive to get to my letterbox, and you don’t know whether the dogs are around the corner,” the man said.

“It’s really quite frightening.”

The man said Tuesday’s attack should never have happened.

“There were so many warnings before that happened and nothing had been done,” he said.

“I can’t believe that people are ringing dog control and yet nothing had been done.”

Statistics from the Kaipara District Council showed the number of dogs impounded by the council more than doubled over the four years from 2021 to 2025.

In the period from July 2022 to July 2025, there were 174 call-outs for dog attacks, but only one person was prosecuted in the same period.

RNZ asked the council to comment on these figures, but have not received a response.

The Kaipara District Council promoted cycle trails in the Kaihu area where Te Rore was killed.

Three years ago, Mike Wespel-Rose was biking on a track from Dargaville to Russell with his wife, when the pair were chased by dogs from a nearby property north of Whangārei.

“They were chasing us, and chasing us, it went on for quite a few minutes.”

“They jumped up on my wife’s bike […] we didn’t dare stop because God knows what we might’ve faced, so we just rode like crazy, very fearful about what might happen,” he said.

Wespel-Rose said the dog issue in the north is a symptom of wider problems with crime and poverty.

“It needs more resourcing doesn’t it, so that it can be dealt with more fully,” he said.

“It’s a tough one.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Te Rore’s death as unacceptable, and said the council needed to act.

“I would expect that within seven days that the Kiapara District Council is taking action and going after the dogs, and packs of dogs that are out there,” he said.

“Just imagine being a mum with a young baby, or young toddlers, and the anxiety that that causes.”

Push to reform laws ignored

However, Auckland Council’s Animal Management said its push for the government to reform dog control laws over the past year had fallen on deaf ears.

Elly Waitoa from the council’s animal management department said she was shocked that as recently as Tuesday morning, the government had told them they were not considering changes to the dog control act.

Meanwhile, police have said they want to hear from anyone in the Kaihu community who has had issues with dogs roaming in the area.

Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said the dogs involved were now with Animal Management.

“This was a very upsetting and tragic event in which a woman has suffered unsurvivable injuries,” he said.

“I know the community will have a lot of questions; our investigation is still in the early stages and our focus is on establishing all the facts in this case.”

‘It’s almost become normalised’

Liz Woodward, a trustee of the Best Dog Trust – which provides free desexing for dogs in Kaipara, Whangarei and Wellsford – told Checkpoint the number of animals was overwhelming.

“We’ve had a dog applied for desexing just yesterday, she had 11 puppies. That’s really common, just the sheer number of dogs and lack of affordability of vet care, and also people being able to get to vets,” she said.

“For Kaihu residents it’s 90 kilometres to get a vet in Whangarei for desexing, so it’s no easy undertaking.”

She said the price was also prohibitive.

“It ranges from about $350 for a vet in Whangarei that’s low cost, the vets we deal with in Kaipara and Wellsford are more expensive,” she explained.

“We recently desexed a 56 kilo dangerous female, and she would have cost the owner over $1200.”

Woodward said aggressive behaviour from pet dogs had become normalised in Northland.

“Probably in most communities in Northland there’s an understanding within your community that there are certain dogs on certain streets or in certain areas that you just don’t get too close to,” she said.

“It’s really disheartening to hear of tourists on our cycle trails, trying to enjoy our beautiful countryside, being chased by dogs. It’s almost become normalised up here.”

“I can’t even begin to explain how big the dog issue is for Northland.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/18/fatal-dog-mauling-animal-control-staff-visited-property-day-before-attack/