Level Of Criminal Assaults By Children In NZ “No Surprise”

Lost among the hype of New Zealand's recently released 2010 crime figures were some shocking data about child violence. The stats make for grim reading as they come at a time when schoolyard bullying and violent  assaults are frequently in the New Zealand news.

Police crime statistics showed the number of children under 9 apprehended for assaults in 2010 was 64, almost double the 33 recorded in 2009.

Assaults in the 10-13 age group also rose, with 827 apprehensions in 2010, compared to 770 in 2009. The majority of offenders were boys. Read Crime shock: NZ’s little thugs on the NZ Herald’s site.

Family First NZ says that the level of criminal assaults being committed by primary school students is no surprise - and will worsen, especially when schools are pressured to accept and accommodate increasingly defiant and unacceptable behaviour by children.

"In 2008, Family First caught out the Ministry of Education when the ministry's student engagement report buried the primary school figures in a graph with no raw numbers and no commentary. In fact, the number of primary school children stood down and suspended had grown from 4800 in 2000 to 6595 in 2007. That year, 945 primary school students were suspended and 5650 stood down - 28 per cent of the total number of students at all levels stood down in that year," says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

"We have tried to bury our heads in the sand on this growing problem - but the problem hasn't gone away and is only worsening."
"And it's not just in schools. Ministry of Justice statistics released last year showed that from 1998-2008, the number of police apprehensions for grievous/serious assaults by 10-13 year olds increased by more than 70%. For each of the most recent two years, there had been almost 1,000 apprehensions for 10-13 year olds for all violent offences, which include aggravated robbery, sexual violation, indecent assault, and serious assaults - an increase of a third since 1998," says Mr McCoskrie.

"Alarm bells should be ringing when there has been a 70% increase in the number of children committing a serious enough act of violence to warrant police involvement, and almost 1000 children are being chucked out of primary schools for behaviour that is just so bad that schools have got to the point where they can't even work with it - even when the Ministry of Education is pressuring schools not to suspend or expel students."

"There are many factors that may be contributing to these statistics including the levels of violence in the media and games, the undermining of parental and school authority, the 'rights' culture being fed to young people, and family breakdown and fatherlessness," says Mr McCoskrie.

"But firstly, we must be honest enough to admit that there is a disturbing trend which needs urgent action and a change of policies as to how we deal with these children and their families. Forcing schools to accommodate the problem is not the solution and is harming the school community." source

Emigrating to New Zealand because you think it is a great place to raise kids? Read Rotorua Stabbing “Indicative” Of Youth Issues In City and NZ A Great Place to Raise Kids? Porirua’s Midnight Express (blog written about an alarming increase in Children committing violent crime and robberies around New Zealand)


You may also find interesting
All posts tagged Bullying
Our Education and Children's Issues - Facts and Stats page
NZ A Great Place to Raise Kids? Porirua’s Midnight Express
NZ Poverty Not A Lifestyle Choice, Poor Families Can’t Even Afford Basics,
NZ Poverty A ‘Lifestyle Choice’: Let Them Drink Coke,

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NZ Poverty Not A Lifestyle Choice, Poor Families Can’t Even Afford Basics

 In February we wrote about John Key’s comments when asked about poverty and food banks in New Zealand, i.e. that beneficiaries who resort to food banks do so out of their own “poor choices” rather than because they cannot afford food.

This may be of interest to you if you are considering emigrating to New Zealand because its a great place to raise kids and you think that you can manage on the lower salary you are being offered. Or you may be living in New Zealand now and struggling to make ends meet and resent being told that its your fault for making’ poor lifestyle choices’

John Key said

“But it is also true that anyone on a benefit actually has a lifestyle choice. If one budgets properly, one can pay one’s bills. “And that is true because the bulk of New Zealanders on a benefit do actually pay for food, their rent and other things. Now some make poor choices and they don’t have money left.”

But rising food prices mean that New Zealand is a country where it is now cheaper to buy cola than milk and where obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Read the blog here 

Published research from the University of Auckland, which  shows that low income families in New Zealand can’t afford to buy basic nutritious food for their children, is now being used by the Child Poverty Action Group to call for more support for families in New Zealand. The results of poor nutrition is being seen in New Zealand’s hospitals every day.

It may surprise Mr Key to learn that The highest cost for families is rent, then electricity, transport and education. Its far more than not being able to budget properly, its about having money left after the basic essentials for life have been met to afford luxuries like healthy food.
From Voxy

Nutritious Food Too Costly For The Poorest Families

“Latest research from the University of Auckland supports recent claims that many low-income families are unable to afford even a basic nutritious diet for their children. A paper published in Nutrition and Dietetics in December 2010 found that low-income families may not be able to afford meals recommended by the national nutritional guidelines, especially if there are teenagers in the household whose meals cost a lot more.
In response to the findings Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is calling on the Government to increase support for families so they are able to provide nutritious food to their children.
Professor Asher says, “In reality, rent is the highest cost faced by most families, closely followed by unavoidable expenses such as electricity, transport and school-related costs. This leaves little for a good diet, especially for older children who eat so much more.
Nutritious food for children is beyond the reach of many low-income families, especially those thousands of families ineligible for the full Working for Families package. This study clearly highlights that using food banks and purchasing cheap poor-quality food is not always a matter of choice. “
CPAG is calling on the Government to help all families better afford nutritious food by extending the In-Work Tax credit to all low-income families. The cost of basic food items have increased over the last year, exemplified by the rise in milk price – 9%. “We see the outcome of poor children’s nutrition in our hospitals every day. This problem can’t be solved just by budgeting, and will not go away through magical thinking.”
Spokesperson Professor Innes Asher i.asher@auckland.ac.nz 021492262″

Kiwi youth already suffer some of the worst health outcomes in the developed world. New Zealand’s young people have higher rates of mental illness, suicide, teen pregnancy and suffered more injuries than young people in other OECD countrie. (source)

“New Zealand’s children suffer not only a higher rate of hardship than other New Zealanders, but a greater share of New Zealand’s children face hardship than in many other countries. New Zealand’s older population faces a low rate of hardship relative to the other New Zealand age groups and relative to the same age groups in other countries. Having about one out of every five children facing hardship is a situation that must be improved.  The comparison to other countries shows that New Zealand is unusual in choosing to impose such a burden on the youngest segment of the population.” Source NZ Institute’s report NZ Ahead.

With regards to third world diseases NZ has 14 times the average OECD rate of rheumatic fever,  five to 10 times the rate of whooping cough and pneumonia compared with the United Kingdom and United States,  and four to six times the rate of child maltreatment compared with the best countries.

Household crowding is partly blamed for New Zealand having one of the highest rates of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) among children and teenagers in the developed world.The infectious disease, which can cause chronic rheumatic heart disease through damaged heart valves, is responsible for more than 120 deaths a year.

This is what Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga had to say about how poverty is affecting children in New Zealand. No’ lifestyle choices’ here, just hard living in grinding poverty.

In 2010; 2000 more children were admitted to hospital with poverty-related illnesses than during 2007-08

What seems to have slipped below the radar is the fact that a crisis is occurring in our hospital admissions.
That’s the fact that medical conditions which occur more frequently for children living in poverty have been increasing over recent years – particularly for Maori and Pasifika children.  Or that close to 250,000 children are living in homes reliant on the benefit for income.
My colleague, Te Ururoa Flavell, last night spelt out some of the consequences of families living in severe or significant hardship.  Families who go without fruit and vegetables; who put up with the cold to save on heating costs; who delay going to the doctor of the dentist, or live in cramped conditions, who tell their children that the opportunity to go on a school trip or play sport is a privilege which they can ill afford.
Is this a nation fit for our tamariki?  We need to heed the research which shows us there can be a different life for our babies, if we make it a priority.
Last year I spoke at the launching in Dunedin of the New Zealand Children’s Social Health Monitor Report 2010.  That report revealed the inevitable, that economic recessions have affected children’s health in other countries. And we saw research indicating the close correlation between recessions and high hospitalisations in New Zealand.
However, it also reported on the experience of Sweden in the 1990s where, despite large numbers of children living in low income families, there were no significant increases in childhood hospitalisations for poverty-related illnesses.
I noted that in 2010; 2000 more children were admitted to hospital with poverty-related illnesses than during 2007-08.
We’re talking about admissions for respiratory problems, infectious diseases, and other conditions with links to poor housing and economic hardship –all diseases of poverty which could have been prevented if children were taken to see a doctor earlier.
The Prime Minister said yesterday, when talking about these very children – the children who suffer the consequences of long term dependency – that “the Government is not prepared to leave those people behind”.  That was welcome news for the Maori Party.
But statements are at risk of becoming platitudes without a plan in place.  Slogans and placards are great for the camera, but where is the strategy to put the words into action?…

She went on to call for seven simple solutions to support children, whanau and families:

• We will set a deadline to eliminate child poverty by 2020;

• We will designate an official poverty line at 60 percent of the median household disposable income after housing costs and set net income for those on benefits at this measure to prevent poverty.

• We will increase minimum wage to at least $15 an hour.

• We will raise core benefit levels, including superannuation, veteran’s pensions.

• We will simplify Working for Families including extending the ‘in-work’ payment to all families.

• We will investigate the reintroduction of a Universal Child Benefit ;

• We will establish a ‘Neighbourhood Renewal’ Fund, which may include incentives to encourage living more collectively, eg community gardens, afterschool care, post-natal support for parents.

You may also find interesting:

1. Our other blogs:
“NZ: 100% Pure Rip-Off” (July 2010)
NZ’s Poverty Gap – Fat Cats Feast Whilst Queues Form For Bread And Jam (July 2010)
Immigrants Caught In Cold Poverty Trap (July 2010)
Ministerial Credit Card Rort (June 2010)
Family Gets $200,000 Bill For House Fire (July 2010)
2. And these external sites:

Wealth gap divides nation
“ACCUSATIONS THAT New Zealand is one of the worst performers in the developed world when it comes to the income gap between rich and poor have been validated by a Sunday Star-Times survey.
Conducted by Horizon Research, it shows the burgeoning gap between the haves and have-nots is frothing over into resentment, anger and disillusionment….”

Key: Poverty is your fault
“John Key says if you’re having trouble getting by on your income it’s due to your ‘lifestyle choices‘. Key has given himself at least $23,000 in tax cuts and had a $7,500 rise on our borrowed money. He has the worst economic record of any PM in 80 years: 86,000 more jobless Kiwis and falling incomes. And this bastard blames Kiwi families for their poverty…”

Families feel the pinch
Palmerston North families, many of them in paid work, are reaching out to food banks and budgeting advisers in growing numbers as new year bills and price rises tip them into crisis… Salvation Army community ministries manager Kevin Richards said there was no doubt more people were finding it harder to feed their families. In January, it faced a 25 per cent increase in customers compared to January a year ago, with 40 to 50 new clients each month. “Most are people who have never used us before. It’s a huge growth in demand, and it continues to grow.”
As well as about 180 people needing food parcels each month, the number of people looking for assistance with clothing, bedding and household goods had doubled to about 200 in six months.
Some were in work, but 99 per cent were beneficiaries.

Banks face downgrade
“The big banks look set to lose their prized Aa2 credit ratings after ratings agency Moody’s Investment Services said it was considering a downgrade of them.
The big four banks ANZ National, Bank of New Zealand, ASB Bank and Westpac all hold Aa2 rating for their long-term senior unsecured debt and deposits…”

Petrol prices highest since 2008
“Petrol prices are on the rise again, hitting their highest level for more than two years.
Overnight the price of a litre of 91 octane petrol rose 3c to $2.02 and 95 octane rose to $2.11…”

New Zealand: Unite takes on minimum wage
“In New Zealand, 100,000 workers live on the minimum wage of NZ$12.50 per hour, which is just 51% of the average wage.
Unite’s “campaign for a living wage” calls for the minimum wage to be immediately raised to $15 per hour. Then, it would be further increased in stages and set at two thirds of the average wage. The union is organising a petition drive, aiming for 300,000 signatures calling for a citizen’s initiated referendum by May 2010. If this is achieved, the government would be required to call a referendum on the demands within a year…”

Kiwis discuss Key’s comments online
“I know of two people on the sickness benefit due to recent circumstances completely out of their control. One receives $180 a week. She pays $150 a week rent, which includes power in a tiny granny flat. $10 a week is allowed for her cell phone because she has medical emergencies, so she is left with 20 a week for food. The other of those people also receives temporary assistance which takes her total up to $300 a week…in order to cover the mortgage payment. In her case, the mortgage, rates and house insurance is…you guessed it, $298 a week. She has $2 a week to cover her food, power, phone. Budget that, if you can.”
“WE are fortunate to be sort of middle income and I have to say that over the last 18 months despite tax breaks and pay increases we are about $80 – $100 a week WORSE off than we were with all the increases. We pare things down to the bone. Rarely have special treats or outings.I am a good experienced cook and we cook from scratch. I can’t imagine how a beneficiary would cope these days. Edit to add also a lot of beneficiaries are not on unemployment benefit.. they may be on sickness etc and have extra costs for medical care …”

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NZ's Fat Cats Feast As Homeless Queue For Bread & Jam

 
A nice little feature article appeared in today’s Herald, demonstrating that a vast social divide exists in New Zealand’s supposedly ‘classless society.’

The ever widening gulf between the country’s dirt poor and the wealthy classes has been recognised on an internationals stage, something that is unlikely to be mentioned next time one of those ‘most livable’ surveys gets published (most livable for whom?)

If you ever see PR hype hailing New Zealand hailed as a ‘great place to raise kids’ or the sixth best country in the world to be mother it’s worth remembering that  230,000 children live in unacceptable poverty in New Zealand and that Kiwi youth suffer some of the worst health outcomes in the developed world.

Whilst the fat cats feasted on marinaded fish salad yesterday, metres away queues formed for bread and jam and generations are born into and die in poverty:

“Great poverty still affects pockets of New Zealand, ministers were told yesterday – shortly before their sumptuous three-course lunch.
Millionaire Auckland mayor John Banks told the conference at the SkyCity Convention Centre that “there are pockets of social deprivation” that needed to be addressed.
“We have to bridge the gap between the very poor and dispossessed and those of us who are making great progress,” he told delegates...

...Just 250m away at the Auckland City Mission, dozens of homeless people queued up for handouts of bread and jam.

A spokeswoman said the United Nations rated New Zealand with the sixth greatest gap between rich and poor among developed nations last year.
For Stephen Flowers, who has lived on the streets for about 10 years, Banks’ words were empty rhetoric. He said: “It does make you laugh when you hear people like Banks and John Key talk as if they know what life is like for us. They have no idea, I haven’t seen any improvements since National came to power. After my fines have been paid I’ve got $60 a week. … Lunch for me usually consists of picking food out of rubbish tins.”...
“There are people living with rats who are at risk of starting an outbreak of rabies or TB. They are born in poverty, they live in poverty and they die in poverty.” read the full report here

Thanks to Netizen and ‘Waiting for them’ who sent us a very links to a report on the United Nation’s report into income inequality across the world and another which shows half of disabled Aucklanders are living on the poverty line.

“There are 77,000 disabled people living in Auckland, the majority of whom earn far less than their non-disabled counterparts, even when they have a tertiary qualification. poverty is a daily reality for many disabled Aucklanders and their families, and from available figures estimates that about half of disabled Auckland adults have personal incomes of less than $20,000, predominantly sourced from benefits, casual, part-time, and/or low-paying work

The United Nations report on income inequality:

“…ranked countries and regions based on a number of factors, including their Gini coefficient, named for Italian statistician Corrado Gini.
We have listed the world’s most advanced economies based on their Gini score, with zero marking absolute equality and 100 absolute inequality. Scandinavian countries, Japan, and the Czech Republic have the least amount of inequality. The U.S. is among the most unequal, but it’s not No. 1. To see which economy is, read on…”

The to 10 countries for income inequality were ranked as follows
1. Hong Kong, Gini score 43.4
2. Singapore, Gini score 42.5
3. United States, Gini score 40.8
4. Israel Gini, score 39.2
5. Portugal Gini, score 38.5
*6. New Zealand,  Gini score 36.2
7. Italy and Great Britain, Gini score 36
9. Australia, Gini score 35.2
10. Ireland and Greece, Gini score 34.3

*”According to the OECD, New Zealand had the biggest rise in inequality among member nations in the two decades starting in the mid-1980s. The country’s economy emerged from recession in the second quarter, but with growth of just 0.1%, the central bank is likely to keep interest rates low until well into 2010.”

But this blog is written from the point of view of the migrant or visitor to New Zealand, how is this relevant to them? Because, believe it or not, migrants are unexpectedly finding themselves caught in New Zealand’s poverty trap due to the low wage economy or through losing their jobs in the recession and having no safety net.

Readers will remember the blog we wrote a week ago about the young couple (an American and an Australian) caught up in a cold poverty trap and unable to borrow money to insulate their timber home.

We’ve also written about immigrants forced to live in third world conditions, – skilled migrants that lost their jobs and, faced with high rents, were forced into  living in cars, vans and overcrowded houses. The unlucky ones lived on the streets.
If you’re about to move to New Zealand we recommend that you read them and posts tagged Poverty.

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OECD Report Critical of NZ Child Welfare Spending

In contrast to a Save the Children report which placed NZ as the sixth best country in the world to be a mother, recent data has been released by the OECD that would suggest that children in NZ are more disadvantaged than in many other key countries in the developed world. This blog has already highlighted the issue of over 230,000 (22%) children forced to live in poverty in New Zealand.

The report may be found here: OECD (2009), Doing Better for Children

Source: Yahoo.co.nz 2 September

"The New Zealand government is spending considerably less on child welfare than other OECD countries , a new report says. The report, Doing Better for Children, was the first time the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) had reported on child well-being within its 30 member countries.

It identified New Zealand's biggest shortfall as its limited spending on young children (aged five and under), which was less than half the OECD average.

New Zealand was also struggling in terms of health, with the highest youth suicide rate in the OECD and an above-average child mortality rate. (see our 'Stats' page and graph below - click to enlarge)

"Children lived in poor material conditions, average family incomes were low by OECD standards and child poverty rates were high.

While children had high rates of educational achievement, there were large gaps between top and bottom performers.

Immunisation rates for measles were the second-worst in the OECD, and for whooping cough, the fifth-worst. (see links at the bottom of this post)

The report said the government should spend considerably more on younger, disadvantaged children and make sure high rates of spending on older children met the needs of the disadvantaged.

France, Germany, Britain and Belgium spent the most on children while Switzerland, Ireland, Australia and Italy spent the least, the Associated Press reported. Despite spending more than the OECD average on children, the United States and Britain both had high teenage pregnancy rates. (NZ has the world's third highest teenage pregnancy and child maltreatment death rates)

The US was among the worst countries in terms of infant mortality and child poverty and Britain's underage drinking rates were the worst in the OECD.

OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria acknowledged that the global financial downturn had squeezed public budgets around the world, Agence France Presse reported. "But any short-term savings on spending on children's education and health would have major long-term costs for society," he warned."

See also:
NZers warned of measles epidemic - July 09
Parents are being warned to immunise children as a measles epidemic threatens Auckland schools - Aug 09
Whooping cough epidemic possible - March 09
Whooping cough epidemic in NZ babies - Aug 09

McJobs Government Sentences Kiwi Kids To A Dead End Future.

This week the Prime Minister John Key (also Minister for Tourism) confirmed that the government is to pour $1 million into the '100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games'. It was also announced that Tourism New Zealand had obtained the naming rights sponsorship deal on the event.

Further cutbacks on Tertiary Education
In the last few days it's been announced that $1 million in redundancy payments to Otago Polytechnic staff pushed the institution to its worst financial result in 5 years. Meanwhile, three Government-funded tertiary student scholarships (Step Up, Bonded Merit and Top Achiever doctoral schemes) have been axed to save $98 million.

I think we're beginning to see where the future of New Zealand's youth will be headed: the low paid service sector industry, tourism and prison management.

Now the Maritime Union has spoken out in a press release against the NZ government's plan to facilitate McDonalds' expansion of its trading base by 'helping' the company to recruit 7,000 people over the next 5 years:

"The Maritime Union says the National Government's plan to act as a compulsory recruitment agency for McDonalds fast food chain is a travesty.

One time truck stop waitress and Minister for Social Developlment Paula Bennett has described an agreement between WINZ and McDonalds that will provide up to 7000 unemployed workers for the fast-food chain's growth plans over the next five years.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the scheme has two beneficiaries - a Government with a failing jobs policy, and a global corporation that will suck profits out of New Zealand.

He says the scheme is condemning working class young people to a dead end future.

Low wage, casualized trap
"The fact is that for most people, working in these jobs is not a career path, it is a low-wage, casualized trap." He says he is interested how many children of National Party MP's are being sent off to develop their careers as burger makers.

Mr Hanson says that claims that such "McJobs" will provide a career path are similar to the burgers. "They always look good in the ads but when you eat them they never live up to the promises."

Mr Hanson says that thousands of skilled jobs in manufacturing are being demolished, and freezes in funding for polytech places will keep young people out of training. He says young New Zealanders should have the opportunity to work in areas like the maritime industry or the fishing industry for decent wages.

"Yet what we see is underpaid and often exploited overseas crews working in New Zealand waters while local people are shovelled towards the dole or the chip fryer."

Social divison, inequality and erosion of family life
Mr Hanson says the current scenario is that New Zealand is going to have a massive low-wage sector that would breed enormous social divisions and problems. He says secure, wellpaid jobs have long been under attack in New Zealand, as profits ballooned but workers saw their incomes shrink.

"Under the current Government we are only seeing two areas of employment growth, prison staff and fast food, if this is a success I'd like to see what a failure looks like."

Mr Hanson says the toll of casual jobs, multiple jobs, irregular hours and shift work in a "24 hour society" was causing massive social inequality and disruption to family and community life, leading to stress, health issues, crime and family breakdown."

McHospitals
In October of last year health chiefs called for southern health boards to cut ties with fast food companies such as McDonalds to fight a dramatic rise in obesity. Otago DHB public health group manager Pip Stewart criticised " the health sector's willingness to form links with fast food outlets when it should walk away, as it does with tobacco and alcohol companies.

Sponsorship from the likes of McDonald's would contradict promoting good nutrition and physical activity, needed to reverse the rise in obesity." See McHospitals

230,000 kids live in unacceptable poverty
22% Kiwi kids live in unacceptable poverty - that's 230, 000 youngsters according to a report prepared for Barnados and Cindy Kiro the Children's Commissioner. Cutting back on training and investment and condemning 7,000 young people to low paid futures in the prison service and fast food joints makes for a pretty dismal future. What a pity the 'New Zealand Lifeback Promise' only extends to tourists.

Wouldn't it be better to use some of the massive profits that companies like McDonalds make and put it toward building a better future for all of New Zealand's young people - use it to fund education, training courses and apprenticeships. Why condemn another generation to a minimum wage subsistence where the only bright thing will be the golden arches on every high street.


For today's posts see: latest posts

Milk Too Expensive, NZ Kids Drink Soda

Expensive Milk Contributed to Health Inequalities

"Researchers at the University of Otago Wellington say that the high price of milk and other dairy products over recent years is detrimental to the health of children and has contributed to greater health inequalities in New Zealand.

In a wide ranging case study published in Globalisation and Health Dr Louise Signal and Moira Smith, from the Department of Public Health at the University, have examined the health impacts of deregulation of the market for milk since the 1980s, and the impact on the nation's health.

They say it is clear from a series of legislative changes that deregulation of the milk market since the 1980s has significantly reduced accessibility and affordability of milk products for many low income families and their children.

Milk outside the reach of low-income families

"What we have seen is a relatively rapid increase in the price of milk, with trade being the main priority of successive Governments since the 1990s, rather than the provision of milk to every household at an affordable price," says Moira Smith. "It means that milk, a basic nutritional product, fundamental to children's health, is often outside the reach of low-income families."

The researchers say that despite payouts to farmers falling from around $7 per kilogram of milk solids to an expected $5.20kg this year, the retail price for two litres of milk ($3.21) is the same as a year ago when adjusted for the CPI (see figures at end of release). Meanwhile the price of two litres of soft drink has stayed much the same at around $2.00 for 1.5 litres.

Serious health inequalities in NZ

"Half a century ago governments supported the right of every child to cheap milk at home. Now this has been removed and serious health inequities have developed in New Zealand, particularly amongst lower socio-economic groups and Māori and Pacific peoples, 30% of whom fall into the lowest income group."

The researchers point to a series of actions by successive governments: the removal of government subsidies and control of the milk industry, the axing of price control, the application of GST on food, and the linkage of retail prices to international commodity prices (globalisation). This has resulted in an escalation in the price of milk for New Zealanders, in a country where 25% of export income is earned from dairying.

Now only 38% of children drink milk daily, and 34% weekly, with 17% not drinking it at all.

Poorer kids drink more fizzy drinks

At the same time the removal of tariff barriers and the emphasis on international trade has resulted in a rapid increase in supply and consumption of unhealthy sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages (SSCBs) or 'fizzy drinks' from the early 1990s. Some reports indicate that milk consumption dropped by a third during the 1980s and 1990s.

"As everyone knows unhealthy fizzy drinks, which contribute to our high rates of obesity and tooth decay, are cheaper and more heavily advertised than milk," says Moira Smith. "Once again the highest consumption of these drinks is in low income groups."

The obvious solution according to the authors is for the Government to reconsider interventions to make milk more affordable for families.

• Implement price control or subsidies and not rely on a relatively uncompetitive domestic market to constrain prices
• Government assistance to low income families to ensure they can afford to buy healthy food
• Milk as part of a 'Breakfast in Schools' programme in schools in low-income areas
• Reduce or eliminate GST on healthy food choices such as milk and fresh, non-processed food. NZ is one of the few OECD countries which retains regressive GST on these products.

The University of Otago, Wellington researchers say that further work is needed to understand the reasons why people choose the food they do, particularly in low-income and at risk groups, in order to reduce health inequality and obesity in New Zealand.

"The issue of good nutrition needs to be taken much more seriously as one of the key determinants of health," says Dr Signal. "New Zealand's emphasis on trade and globalisation is now dictating the health of our children through the high cost of milk and milk products."

To see the prices over the last three years: Otago Milk Research

Poverty Wages - NZ Workers' Stage Hunger Strike to Protest

From: Unite

"Over twenty professional market researchers will begin a hunger strike at 4pm today that their union says will last for at least twenty-four hours.

Market researchers from the residential team at the east Auckland call centre of the global market research firm Synovate, which has an annual turnover of $720 million have taken the action to protest poverty wages, often as low as $12.50, inadequate breaks and no job security.

The Unite Union which represents the market researchers at Synovate are asking for pay rates that would see full timers get paid $17 an hour and part timers get paid $15 an hour. Current pay rates are as low as $12.50, significantly less than the $21.72 an hour that Synovate researchers earn in Australia as a result of their strong union won agreement. Other improvements the union is asking for include union members being paid for shifts cancelled at short notice, five minutes break for each hour worked and guaranteed hours for long serving staff.

“Worker’s should not be expected to be the eyes and ears of corporate capitalism while working on poverty wages with no job security in a call centre that often has it’s carpet infested by fleas,” said Unite Union organiser Omar Hamed.

“The company seems to want to keep delaying raising our wages. Management has been telling us constantly that we should be tightening our belts. So we decided to take them at their word,” said Synovate call centre worker and union delegate Maria Evaroa.

“A recent survey by Synovate found that internationally New Zealanders are among the least concerned about the global recession. Yet there is a strong sense in Synovate’s own call centre that the company is using the recession as an excuse not to pay living wages.

“Aegis Group which owns Synovate made a £94.4 million profit in 2007. It was call centre workers like us who created that profit yet in the good times we never saw our fair share.

“Negotiating for living wages and good working conditions in the midst of an economic crisis has taught us that multinational corporations will always try and make workers pay for the crises they create,” concluded Maria Evaroa.

Union members will be on hunger strike from 4pm on Wednesday the 25th of February until 4pm on Thursday the 26th of February. A community picket will be held at Synovate’s call centre in Aviemore Drive, Highland Park from 5pm to 5.30pm on Thursday the 26th.

230,000 Children Living in Poverty in New Zealand

Source: NZHerald, Thurs 7 August, 2008
"The Government is being urged to do more to alleviate child poverty in New Zealand in the wake of a major report issued today.

Commissioned by Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro and Barnardos, the report shows that about 230,000 children, or 22 per cent, of New Zealand children are living in unacceptable poverty. "There are too many poor children in New Zealand and ignoring them threatens our future economic prosperity and social well being," Dr Kiro said. Barnardos New Zealand chief executive Murray Edridge said the report made it clear that the country could not afford to sacrifice the healthy "development of our children and therefore our productive human capital".

The Families Commission said families, communities, the business sector and government needed to work together to address poverty. Chief commissioner Rajen Prasad welcomed the report, A Fair Go For Children - Actions to Address Child Poverty in New Zealand, and said it added to the growing understanding of poverty issues within New Zealand. The Paediatric Society of New Zealand urged the Government to take seriously the policies proposed in the report, so that every child in New Zealand was able to grow up to reach their full potential."

Further link: http://www.cpag.org.nz/campaigns/How_can_I_help.html

Getting The Homeless off the Streets, Auckland

Source: NZHerald, Thurs 4 Sept 2008

Council officers are working on ways to stop the homeless sleeping rough on city streets.

The move was prompted by complaints from the public about mattresses on footpaths, puddles of urine and people behaving offensively, especially near Aotea Square in the central city.

Auckland City Council's community services committee has asked officers for ways to increase the council's ability to intervene.

Councillor Paul Goldsmith has proposed asking Parliament to widen police powers to allow them to move rough sleepers along......

Mr Goldsmith said the Bill of Rights limited the council's actions.
"Maybe all we can do is ask Parliament as loudly and clearly as we can to bring in legislation that allows the police to do the job - picking people up and moving them somewhere else." Another option was hiring security guards to patrol troubled spots, he said.

Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson acknowledged there was problem with rough sleepers. She said she received a lot of complaints from people who felt unsafe, as well as shopkeepers who wanted people moved from their doorways.

But the first step to solving the problem was to give people somewhere to go.

"These are people who don't have anywhere to go and they're sleeping out in the wet and the cold," Ms Robertson said.

"If we had enough beds, and people used them, it would make a huge difference [to the number of rough sleepers]."

The mission plans to apply to Auckland City Council in November for resource consent to build an 80-bed facility.

Ms Robertson said other countries had provided long-term housing solutions and then legislated against vagrancy.

"We can't just move them along if there's nowhere to go.