'Simply unacceptable': Charities call for sustained political action on child poverty
Charity groups in New Zealand are calling for urgent government action to address rising child poverty rates, citing inflation and housing issues. A new report highlights that 170,000 children are currently living in households struggling to afford essentials.
Why it matters
Highlights a significant social welfare crisis and the ongoing debate over government responsibility in economic policy.
Charity groups are calling for sustained action on incomes and housing to fight child poverty .
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) issued a report on child poverty on Saturday morning.
CPAG's communications manager Isaac Gunson said the charity aimed to lay bare the facts of child poverty ahead of the election.
"The number one thing any of these parties can do is just get out into their communities and see the lived reality for a lot of people.
"It's so unbelievably tight for so many families right now and we cannot keep relying on individual families to stretch and stretch and stretch to make things work."
He said National and Labour-led governments had achieved reductions in poverty, but both had also overseen increases.
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