Liveable incomes still desperately needed

Today’s child poverty statistics show family incomes are not high enough, and the Government must do more if it really wants to end child poverty.

“Our tamariki deserve to have enough to get by, food on the table, a warm, dry, affordable home to live in with their whānau,” says Jan Logie, Green Party spokesperson for Children.

“But, while the measures are improving, these stats just show us that 125,700 children continue to experience material hardship. This is unacceptable.

“Temporary measures, like the doubling of the Winter Energy Payment and the COVID-19 income relief payments, show that cash-in-hand support can have the most impact when it comes to lifting children and their whānau out of poverty.

“But these one-off payments did little to help those whānau already struggling to make ends meet, including disabled and Māori families.

“Support shouldn’t be conditional; We need a Guaranteed Minimum Income, or a drastic increase to Working For Families and core benefits.The Government has the tools to make this happen.

“We need bold, permanent solutions where children are the number one priority – and we need them now.

“The Government cannot keep making these supports short-term. Child poverty is an enduring problem that requires enduring, long-term solutions. If we are not prepared to put children front and centre, we are not going to get this right,” says Jan Logie.

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