The most recent Annual Child Poverty Monitor, run by the Children's Commissioner, the JR McKenzie Trust and Otago University, showed that 148,000 children, or 14 per cent of Kiwi kids, were going without the things they needed, while 305,000, or 29 per cent, were living in poverty.
About 9 per cent were at the hardest end of poverty.
So shocking are these statistics, that it's difficult to comprehend the challenges these children face before they even make it past the school gate.
I commend the work being carried out by charities such as KidsCan and it's pleasing to see a school community, such as Fairhaven, respond to a growing need but it's concerning that so many children are now living without the basics and below the poverty line.
This level of inequality cannot bode well for the future and it will likely cost the country vast sums in the future to address the associated impacts on health and social issues if more is not done to address the problem.