- Hon Louise Upston
The Government is marking World's Children Day by reinforcing its commitment to make New Zealand a better place for young Kiwis to grow up in and thrive, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says.
"Today marks one year since the launch of our Child and Youth Strategy, outlining the vision, outcomes and priorities driving government work to improve the lives of all young New Zealanders," Louise Upston says.
"We are continuing to take action on three key priorities in the strategy:
• supporting children and their families and whānau in the first 2000 days,
• reducing child material hardship
• preventing harm against children
"Our Government has already delivered tax relief to families, made early childhood care more affordable through FamilyBoost, and delivered on ambitious targets to raise outcomes in areas such as health, education, housing, and law and order.
"We've also made commitments directly supporting the first 2,000 days of a child's life and preventing child harm.
"Parenting funding was announced as part of Social Investment Funding in Budget 2025, specifically $20 million for programmes strengthening parenting in the first 2,000 days of a child's life, reducing harm and setting children up for better long-term outcomes.
"Children of families with complex needs were identified as priority groups for the first round of the Social Investment Fund in June.
"We know children with complex needs are more likely to experience poor outcomes and require significant social support throughout their lives. I'm pleased that the focus on these children has been prioritised under the fund."
The Government has also accepted all recommendations of the Dame Karen Poutasi Review and set up an integrated response to work at pace in strengthening the children's system to better protect children from harm.
"Our commitment to this integrated response marks a clear line that child safety comes first. Every child in New Zealand deserves to feel safe and secure," Louise Upston says
"The Government is also taking action to reduce child material hardship, particularly in challenging economic times. In Budget 2025 we lifted the income threshold for Working for Families so that more low-to-middle-income working families would get additional financial support each fortnight.
"We've also supported families in material hardship by:
• extending funding for community providers to source and distribute food through food hubs and foodbanks and for KidsCan for raincoats and KickStart Breakfast,
• reprioritising funding to deliver additional social housing places and affordable rentals, including affordable homes for whānau Māori, over four years.
"The principles of social investment - intervening earlier and more effectively - will continue to guide decisions on where to invest and what to do differently to improve outcomes for our children and young people."
