'Give more so we can do more'

The chief executive of charity trust KidsCan says most of the children they support are Pacific and Māori.

KidsCan launched an urgent appeal today, following the announcement that its waitlist for support is now at 10,000 students across 260 schools and early childhood centres (ECE).

Their waitlist is now the highest it's been since the charitable trust was founded in 2005, Julie Chapman says.

Speaking to William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Chapman said 70 per cent of the children they supported were Pacific and Māori.

"They are disproportionately represented in these statistics around child poverty," Chapman said.

She said regardless of a child's background or circumstances, KidsCan strived to provide children safety, a place to belong at school and have their material needs met to thrive.

KidsCan works with more than 1000 schools and ECEs across the motu, providing children with basic essentials.

Due to a lack of funding alongside a staggering increase in demand for their services, KidsCan launched the appeal backed by its principal partner Meridian Energy.

"The concerning thing for us is that it's becoming harder to get the funding to get kids off the waiting list [and] into our program," Chapman said.

"Schools are telling us that families that were just getting by before are now in need of our support with food, clothing, shoes and all those basic things.

"I would've hoped that we would've seen a reduction in the level of need but that just simply isn't happening."

Watch the full interview via 531pi’s FB below:

KidsCan said the wait list consisted of 98 schools in mostly middle-income areas where increasing hardship outpaced the schools' resources. More than half of the schools on the list do not qualify for the government's Ka Ora, Ka Ako lunch scheme.


Chapman said if this hardship prolonged then the children's mental health would be negatively impacted.

"Kids know when they don't have the things that their peers have and they feel that astutely. Of course, parents are embarrassed as well that they can't provide."

Chapman said they would welcome any additional government funding to support their cause, where their current funding only accounted for 1.7 per cent of their income.

"It is about government business and the community working together so that we can provide the services that are needed.

"So, we are advocating heavily for the government to get involved and donate more.

"Give more so we can do more,” she said.