Overwhelmed charities say child poverty in NZ as high as ever

Sunday, 17 November 2019

Lisa Carter is looking after her two grandchildren, who are among more than 80 Christchurch kids in need of sponsorship by charity Variety. (Video first published in October 2016)

A Christchurch father forced to put his wife into full-time care while managing his own chronic bowel disease says a child sponsorship programme has lifted the family's financial burden.

Dave* spent years struggling to care for his seriously ill wife, parent their children, and cope with his own Crohns disease.

About eight years ago, his partner was struck by an incurable genetic degenerative disease and within a year she lost the ability to walk and drive.

Dave says he was reluctant to ask for help because he was trying to manage on his own after his wife went into care.

Dave's children are now among 4753 sponsored through charity Variety New Zealand. At present, 377 children are in need of a sponsor.

**READ MORE:

This father and his two children have an easier life thanks to sponsorship through Variety NZ.

* Government sets official targets to help break cycle of child poverty

* Hundreds of thousands of Kiwi children living below the poverty line

* KidsCan launches pilot to feed children under the age of five at early childcare centres**

In each year since the programme began in 2013, the charity has had between 300 to 500 children on its waiting list.

Dave said he was reluctant to apply because he was trying to manage on his own.

'But it got to the point where it was like, 'you know what, it would be nice to have a bit of extra help'.'

He made the painful decision to put his wife into full-time care in October 2017.

'It got too much and we had to put her into full-time care because I had to look after the kids as well.'

Last year he was hospitalised and nearly died from blood poisoning as a result of Crohn's.

The family lives in a Housing New Zealand home and rely on Dave's benefit. After bills are paid he is left with about $150 for food, clothing and any extra expenses.

The children dress in second-hand clothes and do not go on holidays or to the movies.

A staff member at the children's school suggested Dave apply for a sponsorship.

'[It's] the looks on the kids' faces when we take them shopping for new clothes … when they can go in there and choose stuff.'

Variety NZ provides about $500 per child each year for school-related costs or basic items from The Warehouse such as clothing, stationary and bedding.

Prior to their illnesses, Dave said the family was 'quite well off' and gave money to those in need.

'It's just an amazing thing to give to because you don't realise there are families that have kids that are going through hard stuff and it's just nice to be able to see their faces light up, so I'm extremely happy that this is something my kids get to be a part of.'

Sponsoring an individual child was appealing to those who wanted to do something 'tangible' in response to child poverty statistics, Variety NZ chief executive Lorraine Taylor** said.

KidsCan, which supports children in low-decile schools by providing food and other basic needs, had also seen continued high demand for its support, chief executive and founder Julie Chapman said.

In the past five years the number of schools supported has almost doubled, from 388 to 740. Last year it began supporting 25 Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres. There are 47 schools and 119 ECE centres on a waiting list.

Chapman said measures that would reduce poverty included more affordable housing and higher wages and benefits. Increasing incomes without addressing the rising costs of housing, electricity and petrol would not benefit children materially.

This year the Government passed its Child Poverty Reduction bill, which required it to measure child poverty, develop reduction targets and a strategy to achieve their goals. In August Prime Minister and Child Poverty Reduction Minister Jacinda Ardern launched the Child and Youth Wellbeing strategy, which will be implemented over the next five years.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is calling on the Government for an emergency families package, including an extension of the winter energy payment and the Family Tax credit to those on benefits, before Christmas.

Spokeswoman Susan St John said for 174,000 families in severe financial hardship – earning 40 per cent of the median income after housing costs – the Government's package was 'no where near enough for that worst off group'.

BY THE NUMBERS

- About 183,000 Kiwi children (16 per cent) live in poverty before housing costs are deducted.

- That jumps up to 23 per cent – about 254,000 children – after housing costs are deducted.

- In the year ending June 2018, 13 per cent of children lived in households experiencing material hardship.

- The Government set interim targets last year to reduce those children in material hardship down to 7 per cent.

- The timeline for that reduction, as well as several others, is 10 years.

* Name changed to protect privacy

** Correction: an earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed this comment to Dave*