Ana Apatu: All children need basics at least

Children need the basics to survive.

I took one of the last seats at Dr Russell Wills' presentation on Community Solutions to Child Poverty. In the Hastings Library, I glanced at the audience - mainly women in their later years.

I worked with Russell in my Hawke's Bay District Health Board years and he always gave sound advice.

He's a local. He was schooled at Lindisfarne College and his father was a pharmacist in Marewa. He's also a part-time paediatrician with the DHB.

During his address, he told the audience he sees the most complex children with symptoms of neglect, autism etc. He cited examples of how the region was good at making things work for them.

Family violence screening routinely in all DHB areas has seen a drop in rates over time. Our immunisation rates are one of the highest in the country and there's been a reduction in young Maori women's smoking rates.

However, he's had his work cut out as Children's Commissioner.

How did we get to have so much poverty and hardship in NZ? One of his slides showed the level of poverty in 1982 was 14 per cent. Today it has reached 27 per cent.

In terms of material hardship about 180,000 children are in a situation where they go without the things that most people expect children to have.

-Families cannot keep main rooms warm because of costs

-They postpone visits to the doctor

-Are unable to repair or replace basic appliances

-Have no home computer or internet (an essential educational tool)

-Have dampness and mould problems

-Make late payments of power and utilities

-Have insufficient nutritious food/going to school hungry

-Are living in a cold damp house

-Are missing out on important childhood opportunities like school outing and sports activities

-Have lower educational achievement and poor health

The doctor also told us children do not need a lot but they do need the basics. Poverty can also be defined as not having sufficient resources to live in dignity.

During the recession, poverty tripled overnight when benefits were cut by 10-30 per cent.

The early experience of poverty for children is so damaging. Brain and cognitive development can be impacted. We see diseases in our country that overseas doctors only read about. Rheumatic fever is one. This disease is not a genetic or cultural problem - it is an issue of poverty.

If income is distributed more equitably there is less impact on taxpayers.

In 2025 there will be more people leaving the labour market compared with those entering the workforce. There is a powerful economic argument to look after our Maori and Pacific young people and support education and employment as this population group increases.

However, his presentation was not all doom and gloom.

When he was appointed Children's Commissioner in 2011, one of the first things he did was establish an Expert Advisory Group (EAG) to develop a report that would guide him with recommendations to address solutions to child poverty. He encourages private sector businesses, philanthropists and community organisations to play their part, and he enthusiastically told us there is a sense of hope - solutions are in our hands - government can do some things but communities can create solutions.

So what did the EAG find?

Not surprisingly, there is no single magic solution to child poverty.

The EAG report had 78 recommendations and one third of these recommendations have been partially or fully implemented by the government.

As the Budget looms he hopes there will be more money directed towards addressing the recommendations. A plan will have the added bonus of providing some clarity to communities on what they could do, above and beyond government actions.

Child poverty does not just affect the children of the poor, it affects every single one of us in New Zealand.

-Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.