The Green Party says the Child Poverty Action Group Change Manifesto to Reduce Child Poverty confirms change is needed, reinforcing the need for a government that champions the wellbeing of children instead of the interest of large corporations.

The Green Party says this Government has nearly halved funding for food banks in Budget 2026, extending the $15 million in annual support for just one more year before cutting it to $8 million a year from 2027, at the very moment demand has never been higher.

The Green Party says this year's Budget show the Government is failing to meet child poverty targets.

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

This morning’s Stats NZ child poverty statistics should act as a wake-up call for the government: with no movement in child poverty rates since June 2023, it’s time to make the wellbeing of our tamariki a political priority.

The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. 

The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. 

The Green Party says the latest statistics on child poverty in this country highlight the callous approach that the Government is taking on this issue of national shame.

Today’s Salvation Army’s State of the Nation Report shows clearly why politics matters. Only the Green Party has a plan to end poverty. We have what we need to ensure all whānau and tamariki have what they need to live a good life.