Tūi Tūi Tuituiā

Tauriteritekore – Inequalities

Aotearoa New Zealand regularly ranks as one of most liveable and peaceful countries in the world. Yet despite a strong reputation for social justice and continuing attempts to eliminate disadvantage, inequalities persist; particularly for Māori, Pacific and other minority ethnic groups.

Spotlight on child poverty

One in four children in Aotearoa New Zealand live in poverty ˗̶ an alarming disparity which has put the issue of child poverty firmly under the spotlight.

New Zealand’s first Child Poverty Monitor¹¹, launched in 2013 by Otago University and the Children's Commissioner, revealed that child poverty affects around 265,000 children. Over half of them are Māori and Pacific children, with Māori and Pacific families more likely to face severe or persistent levels of poverty.

For children living in poverty it means going to school hungry; living in cold, damp and overcrowded houses; lower educational achievement; and poorer health. It also means missing out on healthy food, doctor’s visits and important social opportunities such as school outings, birthday parties and playing sports.

A 2013 UNICEF report, Kids Missing Out, stated that child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand was resulting in children’s rights not being met.¹² The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has said more needs to be done to address the inequities faced by Māori and Pacific children and children living in deprived areas in Aotearoa New Zealand.

During 2013, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and other child advocacy groups provided compelling evidence that reducing poverty should be at the heart of all government plans for children. Submissions to the Vulnerable Children Bill and Children’s Action Plan argued that poverty reduction is an essential step toward breaking cycles of child maltreatment, abuse and neglect. There was also a strong emphasis on the need for policies and programmes that are formulated and implemented with the involvement of Māori and Pacific communities and which take Māori and Pacific ideals and values into account. Initiatives such as Whānau Ora were seen as examples of good practice in this area. Other proposed solutions included increasing the capacity of the health, education and social care workforce to deliver culturally responsive services.

As part of its campaign to tackle child poverty, CPAG took a case to the Human Rights Tribunal challenging the Government's in-work tax credit, saying it discriminated against beneficiaries.¹³ The challenge was the subject of a hearing in the Court of Appeal in May 2013. CPAG was represented by the Office of Human Rights Proceedings (with the Commission intervening). CPAG argued that the credit, which applies only to working parents, not those on a benefit, was unjustified discrimination on the ground of employment status. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal saying that while the rule subjected beneficiaries to different treatment amounting to a material disadvantage, it could be justified under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. CPAG said that while it was pleased the court had agreed the in-work tax credit had a discriminatory impact, the effect of the rule was continuing to harm the poorest children in society.

The Child Poverty Monitor indicates that the fundamental cause of child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand is that some parents, including those working, simply do not have enough income to provide adequately for their children. A recent vulnerability report from the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services indicated that low-income families increasingly cannot provide for even the basics as their weekly incomes fall further behind the rate of inflation.¹⁴ Confronted with rising rent and energy bills many basic necessities are being traded-off, such as nutritious food and visits to the doctor.

The Children’s Commissioner repeated calls for an action plan on child poverty to include clear targets and monitoring. The Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group (EAG) on Solutions to Child Poverty released a progress paper on recommendations it made in December 2012. The EAG said that while good work was underway, urgent steps needed to be taken to create a comprehensive child poverty strategy, address income poverty and improve access to affordable, good quality housing and to healthcare. ¹⁵

These views were echoed by the United Nations in its Universal Periodic Review report (2014) which recommended Aotearoa New Zealand prioritise child poverty in its national plan of action on human rights.¹⁶

The Government will be asked what it is doing to address child inequalities when it next reports to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2015.

Addressing inequalities in the criminal justice system

Māori remain disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, as both offenders and victims. These inequalities are long-standing and complex and have been identified by both the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and in New Zealand’s Universal Periodic Review as a major concern.

The Government has demonstrated a commitment to tackling these entrenched inequalities. For example, in 2009 it adopted Addressing the Drivers of Crime, an initiative to address the underlying causes of criminal offending and to share responsibility across a range of government agencies and service providers. Court statistics show that in the last 5 years the number of children and young people charged has decreased by 45%.¹⁷

Iwi and Police are also joining together to implement an innovative strategy aimed at reducing Māori victimisation, offending, road fatalities and injuries. The Turning of the Tide - a Whānau Ora Crime and Crash Prevention Strategy was launched in 2012.¹⁸ The strategy draws on crime and crash reduction plans prepared by Ngāti Whātua, Te Arawa and Ngāpuhi and aims to ensure that all Māori live full and prosperous lives, free from crime and road trauma.

Building on these two initiatives, the Government launched its Youth Crime Action Plan in October 2013. This 10-year plan has an emphasis on outcomes for Māori young people and seeks to reduce crime and help those who offend to turn their lives around.