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Almost 30 percent of children now live in poverty, double the figure of 30 years ago.
Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills says it’s a sign of how much more unequal New Zealand has become, and children are paying to price.
He says poverty rates among Maori and Pasifika children are double that of Pakeha.
Fourteen percent of children are missing out on what are considered basic essentials like fresh fruit and vegetables and warm housing and decent clothing.
Dr Wills says 40 percent of children in poverty are in households where parents are working, which points to a need for fairer wages and more attention to the cost of housing, education and healthcare.
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