If you want to talk about being poor... you've got to be rich

Cartoon / Peter Bromhead

It's all about poverty, but a gathering to try to solve the problem is too pricey for many to join in.

Critics say the entry cost of $2295 plus GST for the two-day Child Poverty New Zealand Summit in October is far too expensive for most frontline workers tackling the issue.

But the organiser - the private company Conferenz - says it has to cover the costs of the Wellington summit, which will feature speakers from New Zealand and abroad.

They will include Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier, former Cabinet minister John Tamihere and former Children's Commissioner Dr Ian Hassall.

Discounts are available, but even with these, many groups say the conference is out of their reach.

Playcentre Federation president Maureen Woodhams said her members were interested in it, but the cost was "astonishing".

"It makes it impossible for people who are working with families and communities to attend.

"We keep our operating costs to the bare-bones minimum so we keep the money with the families and the centres."

Child Poverty Action Group director Janfrie Wakim said her organisation could not afford to attend the "very costly event", but would have individual contributors.

Even with the discounts, "it's still beyond our means".

Mr Tamihere also questioned the cost. "Is it too much? Of course it is. Should they be upset at not being able to be there? Probably. There's a question of cost to travel to the conference as well. So you are always going to deny access to people on the basis of their inability to make it."

Often conferences were targeted more at policy-makers and bureaucrats who had the financial means, rather than frontline workers, Mr Tamihere said.

The summit's senior marketing manager, Roy Maybury, of Conferenz, said everything possible was being done to make the conference accessible, but the costs of putting on an event with top speakers from New Zealand and overseas had to be met.

"We do realise that the cost might be restrictive ... But we are trying to make it available to the smaller organisations."

As well as the discounts, some passes had been given to organisations for people who could not afford to attend, Mr Maybury said.

"It is quite hard, but we are trying our best to sort something out.

"If people do really want to attend and are struggling, they can always give us a call and ... in certain cases, we can probably be a bit more lenient."

PRICE OF POVERTY

$2295

What it costs: $2295 plus GST (or $1995 plus GST earlybird special).

What you get: The Child Poverty New Zealand Summit website says the October 28-29 event aims to "provide a road map to better child policy outcomes". You'll also get lunch and morning and afternoon tea.