Save the Children: Child poverty figures demand Government action to address stagnation

Save the Children is calling on the Government to strengthen its response to child poverty following the release of the latest Child Poverty Statistics today.

Statistics for the year ending June 2025 released by Stats NZ show no annual change in child poverty rates. The figures show that the number of children experiencing hardship in their everyday lives has largely remained the same, with specific groups of children – including mokopuna Māori, Pasifika and disabled children and those living in sole parent households – particularly impacted by poverty.

The data shows that despite the aims of the Child Poverty Reduction Act to achieve a significant and sustained reduction in child poverty, rates have largely remained the same for the past five years.

Save the Children New Zealand’s Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey says while public reporting is important for transparency and accountability, the figures represent real children experiencing hardship every day.

“Behind every statistic is a child growing up in a household trying to survive on too little,” says Ms Southey. “Too little income, too little food security, and too little stability. Living on too little limits children’s wellbeing now and their opportunities in the future.”

New Zealand has legislated targets to reduce child poverty, yet recent years have shown progress stalling and, in some measures, reversing since 2021. Gains made between 2018 and 2021 have been eroded.

In 2025, one in seven children were living in material hardship, rising to one in four for tamariki Māori and disabled children, and jumping to one in three for Pacific children. Nearly 80 percent of households on the lowest incomes were sole parent households, living on an average disposable income of less than $46,000.

“An income at that level is simply not enough to provide a decent standard of living for children and families in Aotearoa,” Ms Southey says.

Save the Children is concerned that continued high living costs, low wage growth and rising unemployment are placing additional pressure on families, with more households relying on welfare and hardship assistance. Rising food insecurity, increasing preventable hospital admissions and higher rates of violence against children are all indicators closely linked to deprivation.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly urged New Zealand to prioritise child poverty reduction because of its immediate and long-term impacts on children’s development and wellbeing.

Ms Southey says addressing child poverty requires sustained investment in lifting incomes for families on the lowest incomes and strengthening the welfare and income support system.

“Paid work alone will not solve child poverty. Some families are locked out of the labour market due to illness, disability or caring responsibilities. Others are working but earning too little to keep pace with the cost of living.”

“If we are serious about eliminating child poverty, we must invest in income support, housing security and food security so children can thrive, not just survive.”

Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.

Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.