Posts Tagged ‘child poverty’

Killing Them Softly With…

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, June 11th, 2018 - 48 comments

In New Zealand there is sufficient evidence to show that poor peoples’ lives are cut short because of poverty related  poor nutrition. While food banks are alleviating the worst impacts of hunger, their kindness may well be contributing to the problem. Food poverty is a systemic issue and requires a systemic response, a response that successive governments are able to avoid while charities continue to provide a buffer for the system.

A report from South Auckland – it is time to change the government

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, September 22nd, 2017 - 17 comments

Reason #4637 why we need to change the government – Midwife reprimanded after speaking out about abuse and neglect in South Auckland

Shameful poverty – why we must elect a Labour led government

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, August 31st, 2017 - 48 comments

Two excellent but very disturbing pieces in The Herald yesterday. This crisis in poverty, housing and health is a national disgrace. It is why we desperately need to elect a Labour led government in September.

NRT: National’s failure on rheumatic fever

Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, July 4th, 2017 - 22 comments

I/S at No Right Turn writes: “Five years ago, National set itself a target as part of its “Better Public Services” targets to reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever by two-thirds. They failed.”

UNICEF on our appalling child welfare record – but apparently we don’t care

Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, June 16th, 2017 - 199 comments

UNICEF has another major report ranking the wellbeing of NZ kids 34th out of 41 developed countries. This is not new news, and apparently a lot of voters just don’t give a damn.

Govt response to poverty report will tell us all we need to know about Bill English

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, December 13th, 2016 - 264 comments

The 2016 Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report is out today. As usual it paints a bleak picture. What will Bill English’s government do about poverty – evasions, words, or actions? Update: Bill fails.

Child abuse and poverty – still with us

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, November 28th, 2016 - 33 comments

As topics like Trump and the quakes take the limelight, the slow tragedies unfolding in NZ carry on in the background.

Rheumatic fever – treat the cause

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, November 8th, 2016 - 14 comments

Millions of dollars are being poured into reducing rheumatic fever in NZ. However rates of the disease in Auckland are at least double the target level – and rising.

UNICEF call for action on NZ poverty

Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, August 18th, 2016 - 165 comments

Once again this country under National is rightly shamed in the international media.

New Zealand’s most shameful secret: ‘We have normalised child poverty’

Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, August 16th, 2016 - 175 comments

Fuck the whole “Brighter Future” New Zealand.

Suck-up economics proceeding as planned – rich getting richer

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, June 29th, 2016 - 56 comments

Inequality in NZ is the worst it’s been in a decade. Key’s response is pathetic. We need to vote to end suck-up economics. We need to be a better country than this.

Another poverty report to ignore

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, February 20th, 2016 - 72 comments

Another report on child poverty for the Nats to ignore.

So, how would you spend $1.2B per year?

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, February 1st, 2016 - 84 comments

A Kiwi Kids allowance for all under fives, with totally fee free public primary and secondary schools.

What to do about poverty (and a suggestion to the media)

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, January 16th, 2016 - 43 comments

An excellent piece on poverty by Lizzie Marvelly in The Herald this morning poses a question to which we already know the answer. (Plus some bonus rambling on the media.)

Key is blaming child poverty on – wait for it – – drugs!

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, December 16th, 2015 - 206 comments

John Key has tried to deflect from his government’s appalling record on child poverty with some throw-away nonsense about drugs. There are just three teeny tiny problems with that line…

Child poverty – it’s not choice

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, December 15th, 2015 - 172 comments

child_poverty_2015

Good question

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, September 16th, 2015 - 66 comments

sanders-poverty

Rashbrooke on poverty in NZ and UK

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, July 9th, 2015 - 15 comments

Max Rashbrooke has a major article in The Guardian today looking at poverty in NZ and the UK, and what each country can learn from the other.

The shame of poverty in NZ

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, June 6th, 2015 - 30 comments

According to the Ministry of Social Development child poverty is worse in NZ than in any European country. According to the Child Poverty Action Group new figures are going to show an increase in poverty. According to the coroner a damp unhealthy state house contributed to the death of a child. Welcome to the “brighter future”.

No quick fix for diseases of poverty

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, January 16th, 2015 - 136 comments

The continued rise of rheumatic fever is an indictment of our society.

New figures show that there is no quick fix for diseases of poverty.

Your move, National.

There is no child poverty in New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, October 29th, 2014 - 64 comments

A recently published UNICEF report on levels of child poverty amongst developed economies suggests that despite our rockstar economy and our brighter future child poverty levels in New Zealand have stagnated since 2008 while in Australia meaningful changes have been made.

Measuring poverty

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, October 22nd, 2014 - 40 comments

The National government has always been selective about what it likes to measure, and so far refused to measure poverty. Under questioning on Morning Report this morning Key finally made a commitment to do so. We must hold him to it.

NRT: Will Key act on child poverty?

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 17 comments

While the left lost the election, it looks like we’ve won another battle in the war of ideas, with John Key being forced to at least pretend he wants to do something about child poverty. Ideas long recommended from the Children’s Commissioner may finally be implemented.

WANTED: new ideas on child poverty

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 88 comments

It’s great to see John Key taking a sudden interest in addressing child poverty in New Zealand. But why the change of heart?

The cost of a bowl of Weet-Bix

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, September 16th, 2014 - 197 comments

One of the most dishonest arguments the right ever put forward on the subject of poverty is around one of the simplest things in life: a bowl of Weet-Bix.

The working poor

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, September 13th, 2014 - 46 comments

National is not interested in doing anything about poverty in NZ. They won’t even officially measure poverty, because they don’t want to know.

Poverty a National disgrace

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, September 10th, 2014 - 82 comments

Advocacy groups are calling for action. People are marching for action. The parties of the left are ready to take action. Only National stands in the way.

Key can’t work with the Greens because…

Written By: - Date published: 4:37 pm, August 29th, 2014 - 85 comments

They care about Child Poverty (and presumably he doesn’t)

Warm, dry homes – let’s just do it

Written By: - Date published: 4:50 pm, March 20th, 2014 - 100 comments

Making sure every rental property is a warm, dry home should be a no-brainer in the 21st century.  Parliament will shortly get the chance to vote on my Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill.  The vote will sort the parties for whom this is a genuine belief from those who just pay it lip service.

LB: Government Spin and Hidden Secrets

Written By: - Date published: 4:24 pm, March 8th, 2014 - 34 comments

This National led Government has seriously mismanaged things and is desperate to hide the true effects of its governance over the last five years. I half suspect many of the retiring National MPs are jumping ship because they don’t want to be around when the proverbial hits the fan. National have carefully constructed showy facades that hide flimsy realities

NRT: Paula Bennett giggles at child poverty

Written By: - Date published: 4:34 pm, April 11th, 2013 - 20 comments

The government doesn’t measure child poverty, so has no way to tell if it is getting better or worse. Hilarious right? Paula Bennett certainly thinks so. “Gosh!”

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.