Source: Radio New Zealand
The Salvation Army is warning that families are starving and it wants the government to urgently increase food aid.
Its latest State of the Nation paints a dire picture of worsening child poverty and unemployment, rising family violence and stubbornly high cost of living pressures.
An annual deep dive into Aotearoa’s social wellbeing, the report shows that child poverty is rising, with 156,000 children living in hardship last year.
Dr Bonnie Robinson. RNZ / Mark Papalii
Salvation Army social policy and parliamentary unit director Dr Bonnie Robinson said the statistics were getting worse, rather than better – and it showed on the front line at food banks.
“Families are coming in, and some of those families have got jobs, sometimes several jobs … it’s just not enough,” she said.
“They’re one crisis, or one extra need, one doctor’s visit, one bit of school uniform, away from not being able to afford to feed themselves.”
Paul Barber. RNZ / Mark Papalii
Report co-author Paul Barber said an increase in food insecurity came as access to government support was being tightened.
Food grant limits had not been changed since 2008, he said.
“And you wonder why people aren’t managing to get by.”
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) acting client service delivery general manager Steph Voight said the “overwhelming majority” of food grant applications were approved.
“The amount someone can receive for a food grant varies depending on their circumstances,” she said.
MSD cannot grant someone more than $200 in food grants over a 26-week period, unless they determine there are exceptional circumstances.
“Any decisions on food grant limits would require legislative change and would be for Ministers to make,” said Voight.
Social Development minister Louise Upston said the government was focused on lowering inflation, easing interest rates and cutting taxes.
“$15 million of government funding was announced in Budget 2025 to support community food providers while the economy continues to recover,” she said.
“In addition to the Food Security Communities Programme, MSD also supports other initiatives such as the Kickstart Breakfast and provides Special Needs Grants for food.”
Upston could not comment on further funding ahead of this year’s Budget.
Poverty stats ‘scandalous’ – Greens
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said it was “scandalous, completely unacceptable” that children live in poverty in New Zealand.
The party’s social development spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March said tens of thousands of people accessed food hardship grants on a regular basis and they were often the last option for families living week-to-week.
“People wouldn’t be calling, or walking into a Work and Income office effectively begging for food if they didn’t need to,” he said.
“The limit that we currently have means that many people are turned away, and when you are homeless, when you may be transient in emergency housing, being asked to show receipts and to prove exceptional circumstances when it’s clear that you’re struggling to make ends meet, is simply just not a reality that people can comply with.”
Māori, Pacific children dealing with effects of colonisation – report
The report showed that tamariki Māori and Pacific children continue to experience disproportionately high rates of hardship.
Salvation Army Te Ao Māori policy analyst Charm Kataraina Skinner said many whānau were dealing with the ongoing effects of colonisation.
“We have children that are starving, and we have whānau that can’t meet their basic necessities.
“Everybody deserves kai on the table.”
Charm Kataraina Skinner RNZ / Mark Papalii
Family violence at highest level in eight years
The report also revealed that family violence was at its highest level since 2018, despite an overall drop in violent crime.
Barber said that was a sign of families under pressure.
“A lot of the violence is concentrated on a few people who experience multiple victimisations,” he said.
Authorities needed to work with those families to understand what help they needed to address the “multiple pressures” they faced, he said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
