after report reveals one in five children live in income poverty
Child poverty advocates are calling for action after a new report revealed one in every five children in New Zealand is living in income poverty - and COVID-19 could make it worse.
The Child Poverty Monitor released their annual report on Wednesday in partnership with the Office of the Children's Commissioner, the JR McKenzie Trust and Otago University.
The data reveals that over 13 percent or 150,000 of Kiwi children experience material hardship. This means they live in households unable to afford six or more essential items including having enough to eat, fresh vegetables, and warm clothes.
It also found 235,400 children live in low-income households which is about 20.8 percent of all people aged under 18 years old.
But while the country is roughly on track to meet the Government's 2021 targets under the Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018, Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft and the Treasury are warning COVID-19 may increase poverty and hardship rates further.
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