Nearly one in three Pacific children living in hardship as experts call for urgent action in NZ

Nearly one in three Pacific children are living in material hardship in Aotearoa New Zealand, according to new Government figures, prompting calls for urgent action to tackle child poverty.

The Ministry of Social Development's latest Child Poverty in New Zealand report shows 13 per cent of all children – about 170,000 – are living in material hardship, up from 11 per cent three years ago.

For Pacific children, the rate is far higher, at almost one in three.

Speaking on Pacific Mornings, outgoing Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad described the findings as a "national shame" and urged political parties to work together on a long-term plan to reduce child poverty.

Last week, Achmad wrote an open letter calling for a cross-party accord to tackle the issue.

“47,500 more children are now living in material hardship,” she said. “That is a whole other Eden Park's worth, almost, of New Zealand children who are going without these absolute basics. And that is completely inexcusable.”

Watch Dr. Claire Achmad's full interview below.

Achmad said rising unemployment, the cost of living and a lack of affordable housing were driving more families into hardship.

Pacific dietician Mafi Funaki-Tahifote from the Health Coalition Aotearoa, said the report reflects what many Pacific families are already experiencing.

“Pacific families are having children having to go to bed hungry, they're having to attend school hungry.

One in three Pacific children are living in material hardship. Photo/file

“These are statistics that are unacceptable in a developed country like Aotearoa, New Zealand,” she said.

Dr Kelly Garton, a food policy expert, said the latest figures showed New Zealand was moving in the wrong direction.

“There's [been] a statistically significant increase since 2023 when the coalition government came into office. So this tells me really that it's clear we're not going in the right direction as a country," she said.

Garton and Tahifote are calling for long-term support for Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunches programme, saying it helps improve children’s health, learning and future opportunities.

“Kids who receive free healthy school meals, they stay in school for longer and they're healthier and more successful in the long run,” Garton said.

“This increases their earning potential across their lifetime, and it actually has the potential to break generational cycles of poverty,” she said.

Watch Mafi Funaki-Tahifote and Dr Kelly Garton's full interview below.

Labour MP for Māngere, Lemauga Lydia Sosene, said the party continued to back the school lunches programme and criticised funding cuts under the coalition Government.

“We had $8 per child when we were in government. This government has reduced it to $3,” she said.

“When our tamariki rock up to school, there is the school and lunch programme, we are pushing for quality products for our children.

“We have continued to ask the government, why are you reducing that support when it's needed for families in our community?”

Lemauga said Labour would be open to supporting a bipartisan plan to reduce child poverty.

Watch Lemauga Lydia Sosene's full interview below.

Achmad, whose term ends this week, said New Zealand could still become the best place in the world for children if leaders were prepared to work together.

“We can really be that incredible country where it is the best place in the world to be a child, but that requires us all to make that commitment to our children and young people,” she said.

Jane Searle, a former police detective and Child Matters chief executive, is set to take over as Children's Commissioner from 1 August.