A petition signed by 15,000 people has been delivered to Parliament calling for the Government to take real action on child poverty in tomorrow's Budget.
Maori Party MP Marama Fox (left) and ActionStation director Marianne Elliott hongi after the delivery of a petition calling for a Budget to end child poverty. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The petition calls on the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the Social Development Minister to ensure that Budget 2015 treats all children equally, and boosts the incomes of the poorest families in New Zealand by extending child-related tax credits to the poorest children, who currently miss out.
The petition was organised by Unicef, Child Poverty Action Group, the Council of Christian Social Services, the Equality Network, Tick for Kids partners and ActionStation.
Unicef's National Advocacy Manager, Deborah Morris-Travers, said the Budget was an opportunity for the Government to deliver on its promise to the nation's children.
"Fifteen thousand New Zealanders have added their voices to our calls for a Budget that will end poverty for New Zealand children so that they can all be healthy and do well.
"Children have been missing out for too long and the public is calling for action to address this national crisis. Poverty is not inevitable - policy can make a big difference."