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review: ‘which nz politicians care about child poverty?’.. 

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(excerpt..)

Paula Bennett, National

Healthy Homes & Insulation
National voted against Labour’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill, which sets higher standards for insulation in both public and private rentals.
National, however, supported a bill of their own requiring more insulation and fire alarms.
The National government also rolled out a programme to subsidise insulation, but the scheme is due to be halted, despite researchers saying it has a 6:1 benefit to cost ratio.

Lunches in Schools
Voted against the ‘Feed the Kids’ Bill that would provide breakfast and lunch to kids in decile one and two schools.

Single Parents & Benefit Reform
In 2012, Bennett oversaw sweeping changes to solo-parent benefits, including the introduction of part-time work testing for sole parents of children aged five years and older and full-time work testing for sole parents of children aged 14 years and over. More reforms in 2013 included requiring solo mothers claiming a benefit to return to work when their child is 12 months old, if their older children are aged over five.
In 2009, Bennett introduced further restrictions to the training incentive allowance, which pays for single parents’ further education.

Working for Families
National voted against Labour’s 2004 Working for Families Bill which gives more social support to middle- and low-income families with children, but in subsequent budgets, including 2015, increased the payments for low-income families and those on benefits by around $25 a week.
National voted for the Support for Children in Hardship Bill 2015, which which forced beneficiary parents to seek part-time work when their children turned three and raised benefits for families with children by around $25 a week.

(cont..)

Source: For The Record: Which NZ Politicians Care About Child Poverty? – VICE

‘significant – enduring child poverty in new zealand’.. 

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(ed:..those on the left who may scoff at the very idea of bill english/the tories doing something significant to tackle child-poverty – could do well to remember that it was muldoon who introduced the domestic-purposes-benefit – not the labour party..)

(excerpt..)

New Zealand’s child poverty rates aren’t improving but we are starting to ‘wake up to the serious problem’ according to the 2016 Child Poverty Monitor.

The monitor – released on Tuesday morning – shows there has been no real improvement in child poverty rates.

Fourteen per cent of children are living in material hardship where they are living without seven or more necessary items for their wellbeing and 28 per cent of children are living in low income homes, up from 14 per cent in 1982.

Creating a plan to reduce the number of children in poverty in New Zealand must be a priority if we are going to prevent a third generation of children in poverty – Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft said.

‘This is not the New Zealand I grew up in nor is it the New Zealand most of us want.

However you cut it, there are at least 85,000 children in this country who are living in very tough circumstances’ Becroft said.

‘I accept it’s not the sort of abject poverty you see on the banks of the Ganges River – but it’s not what we want for our children.

It is significant – enduring – and seriously affects a child’s ability to grow’.

Child poverty has been identified by New Zealanders in recent opinion polls as one of the most significant issues facing our country.

(cont..)

Source: ‘Significant, enduring’ child poverty in New Zealand according to Child Poverty Monitor | Stuff.co.nz

united nations calls out key govt. on child- poverty.. (+ op-ed..)

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(ed: to my mind the takeaway/worst indictment of this key government in this un report is the bare fact that the number of children living in poverty in new zealand/under this government has risen by 45,000 in just the last 12 months – to a new total of 300,000..

..when will we say ‘enough!’..)

(excerpt..)

The Government is on the defensive over child poverty after a United Nations monitoring group called on it to introduce “a systemic approach” to addressing child poverty, implying it doesn’t have one.

And it wants New Zealand to establish a national definition of poverty.

The recommendations released at the weekend are from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNROC) which reviews progress of 195-member countries every years.

It follows a call by Children’s Commission Andrew Becroft for the Government to set specific targets for the reduction of poverty.

The Government says there are many measures for poverty and it refuses to have just one official measure.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) appeared to have ignored detailed analysis from her ministry- and apparently her – when she appeared before it in Geneva last month.

(cont..)

(ed: tolley is surprised the experts at the u.n. didn’t believe her self-serving bullshit/lies/obfuscations..?…really..?…

has tolley/this govt. got to that sad place where they actually believe their own bullshit/are surprised when their bullshitting is questioned/scoffed at..?..)

Source: United Nations child committee wants Government to set definition of poverty – Politics – NZ Herald News

utah newspaper calls on trump to ‘stand down’ (+ op-ed..)

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Today we call on Donald Trump to step down from his pursuit of the American presidency.

(excerpt..)

What oozes from this audio is evil.

We hear a married man give smooth smug and self-congratulatory permission to his intense impulses – allowing them to outweigh the most modest sense of decency – fidelity and commitment.

And although it speaks volumes about sexual morality it goes to the heart of all ethical behavior.

Trump’s banter belies a willingness to use and discard other human beings at will.

That characteristic is the essence of a despot.

Nor is this an isolated incident.

His reprehensible sexual speech confirms troubling reports and outrageous outbursts that have dogged his campaign from the beginning.

Another example appeared earlier this week detailing Trump’s language and behavior on his reality television show ‘The Apprentice’.

(ed: this newspaper from a deeply conservative/religious (mormon) state – that has never endorsed a candidate in 80 years of publication – also reaches for a quote from the bible..to make their case..)

The belief that the party and the platform matter more than the character of the candidate ignores the wisdom of the ages that ‘when the wicked beareth rule – the people mourn’. (Proverbs 29:2)

(cont..)

(ed:..and back here in new zealand – doesn’t that proverb so totally fit as a description of the key tory government..?..and their effect on (some of) us..?

i mean – as the un report just pointed out – we now/here/today have 45,000 more children living in poverty than we had 12 months ago..

..tell me how for those 45,00 children – and all the others (300,000 in total) – tel me how new zealand 2016 ist not that proverb – writ large..eh..?..)

 

Source: In our opinion: Donald Trump should resign his candidacy | Deseret News

u.n. report: the number of new zealand children living in poverty has risen by 45,000 in the past year – to 300,000..

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Poverty Is Like Punishment For A Crime You Didn'T Commit. » Eli Khamarov

Unicef says 300,000 children live below the poverty line and criticises the government for failure to tackle the issue.

(excerpt..)

The UN has said in a damning report that it is deeply concerned about New Zealand’s persistently high rates of child poverty.

Unicef says 300,000 children – a third of New Zealand’s child population – now live below the poverty line.

This is a rise of 45,000 in a year.

The UN committee’s report acknowledges widespread public debate and media attention on child poverty in New Zealand but expresses serious concern about the government’s failure to address the issue systematically.

‘The committee is deeply concerned about the enduring high prevalence of poverty among children’ the report says – highlighting ‘the effect of deprivation on children’s right to an adequate standard of living and access to adequate housing – with its negative impact on health – survival and development and education’.

The report expresses particular concern about the number of Maori and Pasifika children living in deprived circumstances.

Both groups are disproportionately represented in child poverty statistics.

It calls for ‘urgent measures to address disparities in access to education – health services and a minimum standard of living for Maori and Pasifika children and their families’ –

– and says more effort should be invested in preserving Maori children’s cultural identity.

(cont..)

Source: New Zealand child poverty a source of deep concern, says UN | World news | The Guardian