Children who never have a birthday

Many Manukau City schoolchildren don't know when their birthday is, go hungry at school and have never travelled far from their homes, an Auckland City Mission survey shows.

A survey of three low-decile primary schools in the city by the mission showed that many children appeared limited in their life experiences.

City missioner Diane Robertson said the survey was a preview to more formal research intended for next year to assess how poverty excluded children from opportunities or activities.

She said the survey, which relied on anecdotal feedback, found that in one primary school of 210 pupils, nearly half were not aware when their birthday was, and it was often teachers who told them. Many other birthdays went unnoticed.

In a second combined primary and intermediate school of 905 pupils, nearly 40 had not celebrated their birthday this year.

Some students withdrew from discussions when birthdays or Christmas were raised.

The survey also showed many children stayed close to home or went only as far as the Otara town centre.

At the first school, a teacher reported how excited some students had been going over the harbour bridge and seeing the Sky Tower for the first time, on the way to a cultural performance.

The second school reported about 20 per cent saying they had never been over the harbour bridge and 3 per cent had never been on the motorway.

Some teachers commented that the children went about their lives within dead-end streets that isolated them from the wider community.

"We have a saying among staff at our school that our job is to teach the children there is life past the dairy."

The schools also reported how children often came to school hungry and with no lunch so the schools or teachers would give them food.

One school provided up to 55 free lunches a day to the most needy.

While younger children were good at telling staff when they were hungry, the older children were embarrassed and went days without food.

Many also came to school all the year round with no shoes.

Able students wanted to play sports but lacked the money for club fees.