Social Services want focus on poverty as stats worsen

By CathNews New Zealand

March 6th, 2026

(Catholic Parish of Christchurch North)

As child poverty becomes more widespread, the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services is calling on the Government to prioritise poverty reduction in the next Budget.

Child poverty numbers released last month by Statistics NZ show more children are living in material hardship and in income poverty compared to 2022.

“As predicted, the attempts made within Budget 2025 to alleviate child poverty have not gone far enough, said NZCCSS chief executive Alicia Sudden.

“There are still 169,300 children living in material hardship who are not having their basic needs met. This is almost 50,000 more children than 2022. The rates of hardship are even higher for Māori, Pacific and disabled children, with one in four for Tamariki Māori and disabled children, and one in three for Pacific children,” Ms Sudden said.

The NZCCSS, which has Catholic Social Services as a foundation member, noted that there has been some positive progress, with statistically significant reductions in before-housing cost and after-housing cost income measures for children since 2018.

However, reductions in child poverty have stalled, or been undone, since 2022.

“Greater investment in raising incomes and addressing the drivers of poverty will be needed. . . . We call on the Government to prioritise poverty reduction in Budget 2026,” Ms Sudden said.

Evidence suggests childhood poverty can have wide-ranging impacts including on cognitive development, school achievement and adult employment, leading to a cycle of inequality that may span generations, the NZCCSS stated.

NZCCSS is advocating for a broad approach to poverty reduction, calling on all political parties to make a long-term commitment to freeing New Zealanders from poverty with the introduction of a Poverty Reduction Act. This would include introducing legislation to measure poverty rates and set poverty reduction targets for all New Zealanders, while retaining the ability to measure and set targets for child poverty.

“Hardship and poverty are not inevitable. We can make choices to ensure a future where no child or adult goes hungry,” Ms Sudden said.

FULL STORY

Urgent change needed to address rising child poverty numbers (NZCCSS)