This article was first published in eMessenger in December 2019.
We live in a land with an agricultural sector that produces enough food to feed 40 million people, so it is not unreasonable to think that food insecurity would be an issue that any New Zealand family would have to worry about. However one in five Kiwi children (19%) lives in households that do not have access to enough food or healthy food. This is more than 160,000 children.
Food insecurity is largely a result of lack of money for food. Households with low incomes are spending an increasing portion of their income on housing costs, which leaves less money to spend on food.
Poverty limits the health and wellbeing of Kiwi kids. So what does poverty look like for our Kiwi kids?
In the illustration below, the % for each item shown the proportion of children who lack these items and live in with the lowest material living standards (this is the 20% of children living in poverty)
20% of children lacked a meal with meat, fish, or chicken (or the vegetarian equivalent) at least every second day.
33% do not have good access at home to a computer an internet for homework.
6% live in households who are unable to pay for a school trip or other school event.
10% had to go without music, dance, kapa haka, art, swimming, or other special interest lessons.
20% had to limit their involvement in sport.
23% do not have two pairs of shoes in good condition and suitable for daily activities.
10% made do with very limited space for study or play.
17% do not have a waterproof coat.
11% continue to wear clothes that are worn out or the wrong size.
13% do not have their own bed to sleep in.
21% do not have access to fresh fruit and vegetables daily.
A recent study undertaken by the Human Rights Commission showed there are than 50,000 working households live in poverty in New Zealand. Poverty is systemic, rooted in economics, politics and discrimination. While some people are thrown into poverty by illness or unemployment, others live in a seemingly endless cycle of poverty that spans generations. Māori and Pasifika are disproportionately represented in statistics surrounding poverty including material hardship, parental incarceration rate, home ownership rates, income rates and health issues.
Poverty is not random. It is a commonly held belief that it is possible to start out poor and get rich through hard work. However, we do not live in a meritocracy. We have a welfare system which does not provide enough support for people to live in dignity and to meet their daily needs.
Living in poverty in Aotearoa often results in long-lasting, port outcomes for benefit recipients, their children, families and whānau, and society in general.[1] More and more working households are struggling to make ends meet. Families where the main income earners are women are more likely to live below the poverty threshold. We have high rates of family violence, bullying, teen suicide, and abuse of children.
Have you heard about the Advent Conspiracy? It challenges people to be part of a different story this Christmas. Advent Conspiracy was founded on the radical idea that we can celebrate Christmas humbly, beautifully and generously. It advises us to:
Worship fully – Christmas begins and ends with Jesus
Spend less – add less to your cart and more to your heart – free up your resources to support things that truly matter.
Give more – give more intentionally and rationally. Give something priceless like creating something with your own hands.
Love all – use the money you have saved to radically love others like Jesus did: the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the lonely, the hurting, and the homeless.
There is a whole website you can check out https://adventconspiracy.org/
If you want to buy a gift you could give one of Christian World Service’s gifts that help people out of poverty https://gift.org.nz/
Or you may like to conspire with your local Methodist Mission – tell them you are part of the Advent Conspiracy. Some of the Missions provide families in need with Christmas hampers which are tailored to the needs of the families – see if you can be part of this. Or you could make a donation to your local Methodist Mission to support their work with the most vulnerable in our society.
So I challenge you to use the time during Advent to consider what you can do to make Aotearoa New Zealand a just and inclusive society where all people flourish. As our Equal Opportunities Commissioner said, “It becomes dangerous when we develop a tolerance for poverty.”
Thank you for your support of the Methodist Alliance during the year. I wish you peace, joy, hope and love for Christmas. May this time of giving and spending time with family be blessed with laughter and love.
Carol Barron, Methodist Alliance National Coordinator
[1] Whakamana Tāngata, 2019, P 8
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