What a sad Christmas it will be for the 305,000 children living in poverty in what we have previously known as Godzone New Zealand.
Fourteen per cent of this number are living in dire poverty! How in one generation did our country fail our children?
Two-thirds of thesechildren live in more often than not, damp, mouldy and cold rental accommodation, 80 per cent of which is privately owned.
Homeowners, whilst being cash-strapped, at least have the option of ongoing home maintenance and growing a garden, whereas renters have no security, cannot improve their conditions and can be evicted on short notice. Who would grow a garden in those circumstances?
Now because of the high rentals, families are crowding in together, leading to more ill health and domestic violence incidences.
And the meat in the sandwich in this debacle are the children who get caught up in violence, poverty trap, insecurity, constantly moving to yet another dwelling and school. Number one priority for the government in 2016, must surely be to rid our country of this poverty scourge!
