1,000 signatures reached
To: Christopher Luxon, cc: David Seymour, Winston Peters
URGENT: We need to talk about child poverty in Aotearoa
As the next government prepares to take office, we want our newly elected leaders to put an urgent issue on the top of their agenda - child poverty.
We heard very little about poverty during the election campaign, but the pressures are real and growing for many families.
We are urging the next government to meet with the organisations on the frontline of child poverty before Christmas.
Why is this important?
We all want tamariki to grow up surrounded by loving, thriving whānau within supportive communities where there are resources, opportunities and systems to enable them to flourish free of poverty.
Prime Minister-elect Luxon has committed to keeping the Child Poverty Reduction Act (2018) and halving child poverty by 2028. This will take a concerted effort in several areas.
Poverty is notoriously difficult to measure but here are some statistics PM-elect Luxon needs to know right now.
• A record almost half a million Kiwis each month rely on food handouts from charity. This will increase at Christmas. Food parcels are not the answer. Our whole food system is broken, and kids are suffering.
• Te Whatu Ora statistics this month show hospital admissions for babies and preschoolers for preventable illnesses are up more than 30 percent since June 2022
The situation is urgent. We want to show our new leaders the evidence-based policies that will help them fulfil their election promise to halve child poverty.
Speaking on behalf of children in poverty; Child Poverty Action Group, Methodist Alliance, Presbyterian Support New Zealand, Methodist Mission Northern, NZ Council of Christian Services and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand.
Please sign the petition to show how much people across Aotearoa care about child poverty, and help put pressure on the next government to meet with us ASAP.