What comes to mind when you hear about, think about or talk about Kiwi kids?
Chances are it could be the 1990s advertising jingle for Sanitarium: ''Kiwi kids … are Weet-Bix kids . . .''
It was a catchy, memorable tune, promoting a good old stock-standard pantry staple, and the short snippet was packed full of visual goodness, too: positive, uplifting images of apparently typical, joyful, carefree Kiwi kids smiling, laughing and playing at the beach, in the park and in the pool, cooking at home with Mum, and all clearly fuelled by readily available, affordable, healthy, nutritious food.
While the afore-mentioned idyllic scenes are certainly played out in many homes across the country, an alarming number of Kiwi kids now live in poverty (reports have varied over the years between one in three children, one in four and one in five). These are children lacking the physical basics - namely regular and reliable food, warmth and shelter - and, because of that, likely the basics required for a rich and fulfilling emotional life, too: hope, security, opportunity.
After years of warnings, statistics, investigations, reports, hand-wringing, denials and political promises, is anything actually changing?
It doesn't feel like it. Last week alone, we covered three stories which contained more bleak analysis of the reality of life for many youngsters.