pippalonghorn

just watched the news at lunch time and they announced that around 20% of children in NZ are living in poverty. This makes me sad and angry. That amounts to around 200,000 children.

With rising household costs such as food, electricity etc the situation may get worse if the government doesn't step in and help these little ones out.

It is the easiest way out to blame the parents. There will be a lot of hard working parents that are now affected. Gone are the days where only childrens parents who chose to spend their money on drugs, gambling etc were living in poverty.

So what can be done? Extra money or tokens given out to buy clothes and shoes. Breakfast clubs for free in schools for every child. More food vouchers for families. The list goes on.

But how much will this cost?? That question should not be asked because these little ones are New Zealand's future, the next generation.

It is a sad time at Xmas when you miss you're family and friends. I am sad but when I look at the bigger picture, when I'm decorating the Xmas tree and wrapping my littles ones Xmas presents up, I'm not thinking about where my next meal will be coming from or even if I will have a next meal.

Pom_Chch

I think as well as the Government sorting things out perhaps communities could come together and offer a bit more help. I donate food to the Salvation Army to help families who are struggling to feed their kids. You don't need heaps of spare cash to be able to do this. You could buy a tin of beans and loaf of bread for less than $3 or a bag of rice/pasta for $1.50. Lots of people donate food from their gardens too. If you really feel you can't donate anything of monetary value then you can always offer your time by dropping food parcels to houses or helping to sort through the food donated.

I don't necessarily feel we should all sit back and wait for the Government to help because, well, we will be waiting a very long time and it may never happen. If something upsets you and you can do your bit to help then get involved I say. Why not call your local Salvation Army or Google some local charities or community groups that help people who are struggling?

The UK has something similar due to the rise in demand for food banks. It seems to really be taking off and bringing communities together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwEMJiKA6AY

jmh

I noticed a donation bin in the library by the Salvation Army. I agree we all need to chip in but we also need to vote and raise our expectations of our politicians.

Our current lot believe that it is not the role of the state to make sure our children are adequately fed. That shocks me.

Look up Bryan Bruce - he did an amazing doco on child poverty and demonstrated some really effective initiatives operating in Europe that would work here. While it does take money, I wonder whether, over the long term, it would be an investment. Check out his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/www.redsky.tv

My mum works at the sharp end in a decile 1 school. They do have on-site nurses and an on-site social worker. She is at pains to point out that while some of the parents are irresponsible, many are hard working people who are doing the best they can with few resources or support. Some kids are home alone because BOTH their parents have to work to meet their needs and childcare is expensive.

Tom1983

1. Sort out the rental market
2. Remove GST on food prices
3. Sort the poor quality of housing out in order for people to stop spending a fortune on electric bills when it comes to the winter months
4. Increase the income allowed for parents to claim working tax credits.
5. Bring wages in line with cost of living

Unfortunately, there's more chance of Christchurch becoming cone free in 10 weeks time than there is of any of the above mentioned happening

pippalonghorn

I work for the Salvation Army homeless shelter here in Auckland. I also agree that we shouldn't just leave it to the government but where I live I don't get the feel of there being any community togetherness at all.

Tom1983 I totally agree with every point you have made.

Mark Smith

Take out anyone on minimum wage from paying income tax.

As Tom says...3. Sort the poor quality of housing out in order for people to stop spending a fortune on electric bills when it comes to the winter months

Pom_Chch

Yay, good on ya

pippalonghorn

In the UK the threshold for paying tax on you're wages was around £9k. They are working up to the £10k mark. It was a big help for those on low wages.

BEVS

Difficult. Greed drives it. Seen Nick Smiths Latest?

Absolutely


Are we talking social housing here? That will come. Private landlords? Another matter entirely.

Beyond my remit. Help old people remain in their own homes though. I've seen total heartbreak there.
Well. We can hope. It won't happen though. This place does seem to rely on very low wages for some *

* not saying other countries don't but I live in NZ.

I helped for a few hours at a homeless place last year a wee bit. Mr BEVS was away. I will say that it was over-subscribed for volunteers.

It was an eye opener for sure. It wasn't just 'homeless' looking to get fed.

Simplest thing really is to heap up the food banks.
Do the toy gift thing.

Whilst we are on this type of subject, the NZ BE used to try to do a 'secret santa' for an NZ family.
The wider BE does a Secret Santa most years & mods and rockers also get into the spirit.

Last year was apathy . You lot got any suggestions?

bourbon-biscuit

I would amend number two and remove GST on all 'raw' food, eg: fresh fruit and veg, eggs, milk, fresh or frozen plain fish, dried or canned pulses, flour and grains, etc., and then up the GST on all processed food to pay for it. Fizzy drinks should legally have to cost more than milk.

Number three could be sorted by putting a stop to multiple propert owning where the incentive to make the property healthy is minimal. I still don't get why the reserve bank looked at the overheated property market and who was buying at the bottom end (investors and first time home buyers) and decided to penalise first time home buyers. Landlords want to milk properties for money. Homeowners want to own their own home. Only one of those groups has a high incentive to make the house healthy.

bourbon-biscuit

Oh, and as for increasing numbers of children living in poverty - it's just so sad because it's the direct consequence of the widening gap between NZ's richest and poorest

Woodlea

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...y-8501922.html

Wow, it's the same in the UK where there is no VAT on fresh food, there is a huge tax free allowance and everyone lives in warm and cosy houses blah blah blah...

Isn't the definition of poverty the bottom 20%?

Justcol

What are they defining as Poverty, no xbox or sky tv ??

mickey_d

Hmmm, another one of those recurring NZ news stories...
Not improved in almost 3 years then.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...-child-poverty

Hazelnut

The UK report linked to defined it as, 'In the figures, children are classified as being in poverty if they live in families receiving out of work benefits or in-work tax credits where their reported income is less than 60 per cent of median income.'

Which means there's acknowledgement that being on income support due to being out of work automatically puts you into the poverty category. I'd argue that not all children from families receiving, 'in-work tax credits where their reported income is less than 60 per cent of median income.' would be experiencing 'poverty'. It would take a lot of hard work, creativity and positive attitude though.

In the UK the Office for National Statistics states that, 'In 2011/12, median household income was £23,200' (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/househ...ouseholds.html) which means children are classed as being in poverty here if the household income is below £13,920 and the family are claiming in work tax credits.

Where I live, classed as a disadvantaged/deprived area the average rent for a 2 or 3 bedroom flat or house is roughly £600 per month or £7,200 per year. Add up the cost of heat and light, food, travel to work, pension, insurance, running a vehicle and I don't see how £130 per week can cover that for a family with any kids let alone 3 or 4! OK, there's child benefit at £20 a week for oldest child and £13 a week for younger kids but I'm not sure that covers much other than absolutely raw basics of life. I regularly buy meals for the homeless guy who begs outside my place of work, there's been different homeless people in obvious need of help in that spot ever since I moved here over 20yrs ago.

I give to food banks regularly now, they are an increasing phenomenon in the UK and I have helped out at the Salvation Army before. Children in poverty isn't a new thing and isn't unique to NZ. It's a terrible thing and I was breath taken away shocked when I realised there was no income tax relief in NZ for people on very low wages and that GST was paid on essential food items. That really does send a negative image about how much NZ policy makers care for the worst off in society.

The flip side is that it seems possible to grow your own food a lot more easily in NZ than where I live although that could be my ignorance speaking as I'm not there yet. Many of the scarily poverty stricken families I've encountered live in squalid, one bedroom flats in 20 storey apartment blocks with no furniture, heat or artificial lighting, no garden and no knowledge of how to grow or cook their own food anyway.