August 2012 - Public Health Association of New Zealand

On 25 May the PHA Wellington and the Child Poverty Action Group hosted the annual WellingtonPost-Budget Breakfast with the theme “How do children fare?” Similar breakfasts were held inAuckland, Whangarei and Christchurch.Here are some speaker snapshots from the various Breakfasts.Sue Bagshaw, University of Otago, (Christchurch Breakfast)New Zealand’s pipeline policy approach to dealing with youth denies them the opportunity tocontribute, participate and flourish on their own terms.A worrying change is the way school data, including reports, are being forwarded to theMinistry of Social Development without the child’s or parent’s permission. Regardless ofwhether they were from a period where a young person was troubled, this information wouldpermanently stay on their record, potentially preventing them from ever making a fresh start.New Zealand and Finland are countries with similar problems of youth suicide, but very differentapproaches to taxation, wellbeing, and strategies for youth unemployment. Youth suicide in Finland isdeclining, but continuing to rise in New Zealand.Bronwyn Hayward, University of Canterbury, (Christchurch Breakfast)New Zealand has the highest youth unemployment rates inthe OECD at 45 percent. This, along with poorchild outcomes as measured by UNICEF and the OECD, reflects a growing intergenerational inequality.We’ve cut off options for them to stay in tertiary training after four years, we have no new schemesfor senior secondary public education despite having the worst record in the OECD at keeping highschoolteens in education, and now we’re making incremental cuts to primary education and effectivelyprivatising early childhood education. So what do we expect our young people to do?Now, greater burdens are being shifted onto our youth while the wealthy get tax breaks.Susan St John, University of Auckland, (Auckland Breakfast)This Budget does not mention the plight of many children and families. Unlike the AustralianBudget, which acknowledged the financial pressures families face, there were no words ofempathy for struggling families.New Zealand is already seriously indebted, and the current account deficit is only projectedto get worse. However, the Finance Minister’s optimistic forecasts of growth do not stack upagainst figures which show that the 2012 budget will slow down the economy, and will continueto do so for the next four years as population ageing begins in earnest.Overall, inequality and poverty will continue to increase, with all the associated misery and injustice.Jonathan Boston, Victoria University(Auckland Breakfast)This Budget has no reference to childpoverty, and no concerns for theneeds of an ageing population. In theUK they have the Child Poverty Act of2010 which has set a target of halvingchild poverty by 2020. The Act issupported by the three main political parties andhas also established a commission that monitorsits progress and requires councils to developlocal strategies.This is exactly what New Zealand needs.Dr Fiona Cram, Ngāti Pahauwera and founderof Katoa Ltd (Auckland Breakfast)There is a stark contrast in NewZealand between the demographicprofiles of Māori children and Pakeha.Dominant populations seem to enjoyinvisible privileges, while minoritygroups, such as Māori and theirPacific cousins, though in the same environment,battle constant headwinds.These micro-assaults cause glaring differentialsin life chances between Māori and Pakeha,something this Budget has neglected to address.Vol XV No 2 PHA News11