The latest statistics on childhood poverty in New Zealand suggest that, on some key measures, things are worse than previously estimated. About one in six children (16% or 183,000) live below a before-housing-cost relative poverty measure, but that figure jumps to almost one in four (23% or 254,000) once housing costs are accounted for. And Read more
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is one of the thirteen New Zealand aid organisations have banded together to issue a warning over the millions of children plunged into hunger by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Adra, Caritas, CBM, ChildFund New Zealand, Hagar, Hope St, International Needs, Orphans Aid International, The Salvation Army, Save the Children, Tearfund, VSA Read more
The Director of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, Julianne Hickey is calling for action from politicial leaders to address child poverty in New Zealand. Stats NZ figures show there has been an increase in material hardship and Hickey warns child poverty risks becoming ingrained. In voicing its concern, Caritas points out that 4100 more children living Read more
At Lifewise, when we speak to rangatahi about their experiences of homelessness, many of them tell us that they can’t remember a time when they had a safe, secure, stable home. Imagine that, growing up without a home, living day to day, week to week, month to month, never knowing when you might find the Read more
Rotorua has the second-highest number of homeless people in New Zealand. Only Auckland has more. In 2017 Tiny Deane decided to do something about it. Everyone told him he wouldn’t be able to. But he was not put off. He and his wife Lynley sold their rental property and remortgaged their family home to establish the Read more
Thousands of Auckland families are forced to feed themselves on about $6:50 a meal this winter, Auckland City Mission says. Its Social Services general manager Helen Robinson (pictured above) said that, for many families, once they had paid rent, debts, power, transport and medical costs, there was little left to spend on food. Robinson said that an economist’s assessment Read more
Churches in New Zealand have a long history of taking strong positions in the public square on social justice. In a well known example, William Rutherford Waddell found great inequalities and deprivation in the St. Andrew’s parish of Dunedin during an economic downturn in the 1880s. He was determined the church should make a difference Read more
A survey of schools has exposed a yawning gap in home internet access for school students in rich and poor New Zealand families. The survey found that at one in six of the country’s poorest schools, less than a quarter of students had access to internet at home. Read more
Taita College students are being provided with free lunches as part of a programme that could one day be rolled out across New Zealand. Libelle Group, Auckland-based school food and drink provider, is running a pilot programme providing sandwiches or a hot meal, fruit, muffin, yoghurt or milk at the Lower Hutt school. Continue reading Read more
The Salvation Army has criticised the ‘wellbeing-focused Government’ for not doing enough to lift the most vulnerable New Zealanders out of poverty. This year’s report, Are you well? Are we safe? takes a wellbeing approach to social progress as a nation. The report shows a lack of tangible progress in key areas. “We cannot blame Government Read more