Editorial: Fight for poor kids admirable

Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri

I always knew that Kiwis were kind, caring and generous and Hawke's Bay people are up there with the very best of them.

That has been proven over and over again when this newspaper runs stories about people in crisis.

Readers are always prepared to dig deep or offer their time and skills to help those in need.

So I want to say congratulations to all those people who have supported Children's Commissioner Russell Wills in his quest to help children in poverty.

The thought of any child going hungry is abhorrent.

Feeling hungry makes me grumpy and irritable and I only have to put up with it until I decide to do something about it.

I can't imagine what it would be like to want for food day after day.

Some people blame parents believing that they spend their money on booze, gambling and cigarettes.

However Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri says she has seen a lot of poverty.

"I can assure you this is a small percentage of it."

With the cost of housing, electricity and food these days I can understand how families struggle to put food on the table.

Supporting Hawke's Bay paediatrician Dr Wills in finding a solution to poverty is a huge step in the right direction.

As he says, "we need an overall plan to tackle child poverty. Plans matter, they make ministers and ministries accountable."

Hopefully 2016 will see the steady increase in child poverty take a nosedive.