August 29, 2012
Maori need highlighted in child poverty report
Child advocacy group Te Mana Ririki is welcoming a new report on child poverty for its emphasis on the needs of Maori and Pacific children.
The report was by an expert advisory group called together by the Children’s Commissioner.
Its recommendations include support payments for the first five years of a child’s life, more funding for early childhood and out of school care, and a warrant of fitness system to ensure all rental properties are properly insulated and heated.
Director Anton Blank says the report affirms a lot of what Ririki is already doing, such as developing Maori and Pacific measures of well being.
"At the moment we compare our children to other groups but that assumes we should be meeting European standards. The report says no, Maori and Pasifika need culturally specific measures of child well being," he says.
Mr Blank says the report’s call for more parenting programmes also echoes Ririki’s agenda.