- Hon Louise Upston
Reporting released today shows the Government's efforts to reduce youth offending and improve school attendance are making a positive difference in the lives of young Kiwis.
Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says the Annual Report on the Child and Youth Strategy and the Child Poverty Related Indicators presented in Parliament this morning provides important insights, including:
- offending rates for all children and young people have improved from 2023/24 and are significantly improved from 2019/20
- substantiated findings of child abuse and neglect have reduced between 2023/24 and 2024/2025
- regular school attendance is improving for all learners aged 6 to 16 years old
- most parents had access to maternity care and have been coping well with parenting
- the number of children living in food insecure households decreased between 2023/24 and 2024/2025.
It's the second Annual Report on the Child and Youth Strategy and the Child Poverty Related Indicators set by the Government in 2024. Findings show many children and young people are continuing to thrive across a range of outcomes.
However challenges also remain, with 14.3 per cent of children experiencing material hardship in 2024/25, and an increase in the number of children in households receiving a main benefit over the last year.
"These figures reflect the challenges of continuing tough economic circumstances, which we are tackling head-on," Minister Upston says.
"We're focused on practical solutions, including breaking cycles of welfare dependency, creating more jobs, and improving outcomes in areas such as education, health, housing and law and order to help keep children out of material hardship in the long term.
"Through the Child and Youth Strategy we're delivering a coordinated cross-government approach to improve outcomes for children and young people. Our work continues to be informed by our social investment approach to ensure we base investment decisions on research, data, and evidence of impact.
This year's report also includes updates on key actions to make further progress, including to:
- reduce child material hardship through programmes such as the Healthy School Lunches, Early Childhood Education Food, Food Secure Communities and Building Financial Capability
- improve school attendance and educational achievement through the Attendance Action Plan and the Lifting Achievement work programme, and
- contribute to reducing potentially avoidable hospitalisations through programmes such as Kahu Taurima, the Healthy Homes initiative and the immunisation work programme.
"We're also continuing to work with and support those outside of government who work directly with children, young people and their families, whānau and communities to give young Kiwis a good start in life," Louise Upston says.
The Strategy and 2024/25 Annual Report documents are available on the Ministry of Social Development website.
