How difficult to measure poverty?

• Ben Clark
• 8 years ago
• Categories: john key, poverty, radio

Amazing lead story on RNZ – Easier to count rodents than kids in poverty, suggests Key.

There are a number of good measures, any one of which would do, but the new Children’s Commissioner just wants to get past that debate and get onto doing stuff to reduce the numbers.

A government that is all about measurable targets for the public service so that we can know that we achieved – albeit always targets in 2030 or 2050 which they won’t be about to be held responsible for – simply doesn’t want to know how many kids are in poverty.

John Key usually only arrives at RNZ at 3 minutes to 8, to ensure there isn’t time to pursue the hard questions before they have to stop for the news.  He foolishly arrived a minute or 2 early today, and Guyon Espiner had time to skewer him.  All he could do was waffle and offer platitudes about wanting ‘less’ kids in poverty – but government inaction means that number only continues to grow.

[Update: Labour accept Child Commissioner Judge Becroft’s call to use material deprivation measure (149,000 kids) and work with National to reduce it by 10% by end of 2017. Little: “It doesn’t matter what the measure is – let’s just have one.” ]