The government released a report on Thursday showing that 13 percent of New Zealand children were living in poverty between 2023 and 2024. That is up from 11 percent three years earlier. RNZ

"Material hardship" is the term the report uses. It means a family cannot afford everyday basics like enough food, warm clothes, or a properly heated home. It is about what children are going without, not just how much money their parents earn.

Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad said the government was failing to protect about 170,000 children now living in poverty. That number grew by 47,500 since 2022. She called the report "a light on what has become a national shame in our country."

New Zealand's rate of 13 percent is slightly below the European Union average of 14 percent. But five countries — Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Portugal, and Cyprus — moved ahead of New Zealand in the rankings. New Zealand used to be ahead of all of them.

"New Zealand is a small, relatively rich country," Dr Achmad said. "It's inexcusable for us not to be at the right end of these rankings internationally."

Dr Achmad said material hardship means children are going hungry, living in cold houses, and getting sick with illnesses that should be preventable — illnesses that can sometimes lead to death. She said growing up in poverty affects a child's health, education, and chances in life for years to come.

She called preventing child poverty "absolutely urgent" and said it was preventable. But she said it would take all political parties working together, with clear policies that put children's right to housing and health first.

Earlier in the week, Dr Achmad sent an open letter to party leaders asking them to commit to a "child poverty accord" — a shared, long-term agreement across parties to fight inequality. She compared it to infrastructure, saying: "If we can agree a national infrastructure plan, then surely we can do the same when it comes to the rights of our children and young people in New Zealand."

A similar cross-party approach was used in 2018, when Parliament passed the Child Poverty Reduction Act. That law set targets and required regular reporting. Dr Achmad wants party leaders to go further this time and commit to something that lasts beyond a single election cycle.

The report is available as a PDF on the Ministry of Social Development's website. MSD The next full child poverty report is due in the second quarter of 2025.

The wider question is whether politicians will treat this like they treat roads and bridges — as national projects that every government supports — or whether child poverty stays a political issue that parties argue over. The report comes at a time when the government is already making tough Budget decisions about where to spend money.

The numbers give Dr Achmad's call some weight: 47,500 more children in poverty since 2022, and five countries moving ahead of New Zealand. Whether party leaders answer her letter, and whether a child poverty accord gets any support in Parliament, will show how serious politicians are about working together on this.