The Child Action Poverty Group has just released its latest report titled 'Even Further Behind' which shows that on the OECD measure, New Zealand ranked just 21st of the 30 countries included and data showed at least one in five children lived in severe or significant hardship, while at least one in four children lived below the semi-official poverty line.
The report states indicators of social distress are paralleled by reports of third world diseases like rheumatic fever, homelessness, poor dental health, hunger and family dysfunction.
According to the report, policies such as Working for Families have still left the poorest children far behind their peers. Nothing has changed to correct this situation and in the meantime it has been made worse by natural disasters and a recession. Increased applications for hardship grants and food parcels have been direct consequences of the poverty arising from inadequate benefits.
What a tragedy. And how much did 'we' invest in the rugby, the war in Afghanistan, the local terror 'trial', that fucking penguin, to subsidise corporate polluters? This government pays lip-service to the plight of the poor and it's a ticking time-bomb.
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