Child Poverty Monitor 2021

Earlier in December, the Child Poverty Monitor 2021, which reports on child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand and its impacts, was released. Supported by a partnership between the J R McKenzie Trust, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, and the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service at the University of Otago, the findings show that more work is needed to level the playing field for all tamariki. Structural barriers mean Māori, Pacific and disabled children are much more likely to be doing it tough.

18.4% of all children live in low-income households, but this increases to 21.1% for tamariki Māori, 21% for Pacific children, and 22.5% for disabled children. This compares to 14.8% of Pākehā children. About 25% of all children live in homes that have problems with dampness. For tamariki Māori, this is much higher at 35%, while for Pacific children, its 37%. In 2019/20, one in five children lived in households where food ran out sometimes (15.6%) or often (4.3%) due to a lack of money. Tamariki Māori (30%) and Pacific (45%) children are most likely to sometimes, or often, run out of food, compared with European children (16%).

It's time to recognise and remove the barriers getting in the way of all tamariki living their best lives, so that children and their families can thrive. You can read more on this year’s report here.