New Zealand is sliding backwards on child poverty — policy choices must change

One in seven New Zealand children are now living in poverty, and retired paediatrician Emeritus Professor Innes Asher says government policies “have driven this child poverty crisis” and can be reversed. The figures show more than a statistic: they mark households where parents skip essentials, children miss out at school and families face long-term harm. The political debate ahead of the election must stop treating child poverty as an unavoidable by‑product of the economy and instead confront the policy settings that have allowed it to worsen. That means targeting help where the evidence shows children are losing out, prioritising early intervention and listening to health and welfare professionals who say the trend is reversible. Ordinary families need clear, measured steps to reduce poverty now — not vague promises for some distant future.