Tomorrow night on TV3 there is a documentary about child poverty in New Zealand. I think every New Zealander should see it. It is a very real depiction of how life is for some of our most vulnerable families. The issues raised about child health and well being are ones we all have to take some responsibility for. Stuff has some preview of the content this morning.
More than 100 New Zealand children who died last year would probably have survived had they lived in Japan, Sweden or the Czech Republic, a new documentary shows….Last year, more than 25,000 children were admitted to hospital for respiratory infections. Doctors routinely treat cases of rheumatic fever and scabies – diseases now rare in Europe.
It is for these families that Labour has made eliminating child poverty our number one social policy priority. When it comes to avoidable hospital admissions (for issues like skin infections and respiratory illness) the National government has removed reducing them as a priority health target. This is wrong. They have increased by 5,000 between 2007 and 2010. The reason targeting these admissions is important is not only are they a proxy for how many children are in poverty, they are also an indication of lack of access to primary care as these infections should never get to hospital admission status.
Labour will restore the reduction of avoidable hospital admissions as a priority target. We will also make child health a priority by
- enrolling all children with a Well Child provider before birth so that we have continuity of care for all babies
- 24/7 free primary care for all under sixes (and we are funding this, unlike National)
- enhanced B4School Checks and a mop up service at school for those who don’t get them
- requiring District Health Boards to adopt child health implementation plans with nationally agreed measurable outcomes and targets that are monitored by the Ministry of Health.
- developing systems during pregnancy to identify children who are vulnerable, and then ensure that the relevant levels of support are in place to support and optimise parenting.
- strengthening the Health in Schools Programme, including social workers, starting with low decile schools, with the aim of expanding the programme to higher decile schools as resources allow.
- 10 year plan to improve access and affordability of dental care, starting with a package of free dental services for pregnant women.
And the rest of the Childrens Policy agenda that we have released. You can find all the details here.
This is an issue that it is already past time to take decisive action. National do not seem prepared to do it, Labour is.
Respiratory illness is a result of cold and damp housing so, although what you’ve mentioned here is good, what are you going to do to get the houses up to a liveable standard? Especially considering that the subsidies that are presently available won’t be used by the most in need of them due to:-
a) Even with the subsidies they can’t afford the insulation and
b) They’re renting and the landlords won’t do the insulation as it will cut into their profits
Great policies
Yay, chaffy happy.
Now, on the subject of children, pleeeeeeease tell me you didn’t send that letter that all the right wing blogs are getting so upset about!!
I wouldn’t dine out too much on the accuracy of this programme if the pre-publicity such as the Stuff article is typical.
I did a bit of fact checking in a few comments over at Kiwiblog that suggests it all leaves something to be desired on the accuracy stakes, which is a pity because after all this is an important issue.
You’re doing fact checking on Kiwiblog? That’s guaranteed to ensure that you’re getting your facts wrong.
I read him to mean he posted some facts at kiwiblog.
In 2003 myself and my wife and our 2 children spent 6 months in Christchurch from March to September, we were renting a beautiful old bungalow (from a GP) and discovered that as winter progressed we had ice form on the INSIDE of the windows , we could afford to run heaters all night, every night to keep us from dveloping nasty diseaes, but if you were on a low income you would probably not be able to afford the resultant $350.00 + power bills. I spoke with our landlord about the freezing nature of the house, and was told that we needed to “wear much warmer clothes , as were no longer in Auckland !”
Needless to say we returned to Auckland at the first opporunity and now we have fully insulated our 1970′s box.
Again the Tories and CT and Farrar and Blubber Boy have the idiot MSM writing up some leaflet, diverting them from starving kids. I guess leaflets are more important and way more newsworthy than starving kids to the Tories and their MSM lapdogs? Mind, they choked and folded over the teapot tapes, so child poverty is a no brainer really? Starving kids don’t buy papers, do they?
Grant – Does this mean, then, that Labour will be reversing all or any of the crackdowns on social welfare benefits it introduced when last in government? I see, of course, that Labour says it will extend WFF to beneficiaries, presumably in line with what the CPAG group argued were discriminatory, but I’m wondering about the more direct changes to benefits, such as work-testing invalid’s benefits, repeal of the special benefit, etc? I haven’t heard Annette mention any of these sorts of things – although that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been talking about them, of course – just may have missed them.
I would add a compulsion for all properties being rented out to be insulated – meet a minimum health standard, that complements bringing state housing up to standard. The final measure would be to require all private homes being on-sold to be of this standard.
Otherwise healthy food in poor area schools.
Basic standards in housing and nutrition are best for improving public health of children – health care checks complement this and you seem to be on the right track there.
$713 million over 7-8 years guaranteed to take $713 million out of parents’ pockets into the hands of politicians who will bribe said parents with that same money promising to bring their kids out of poverty. Despicable.
I’m guessing Nick that you don’t know what progressive income tax is, who pays CGT and what redistribution is. Am I right? If not, wtf was your post about?
“and discovered that as winter progressed we had ice form on the INSIDE of the windows”
The same was true in my mother-in-law’s home. After much cajoling she let us pay for the windows to be replaced. Not everyone has that opportunity.
Power prices need to be equalised across the country. Thos ein cold climbs will use more but they shouldn’t have to pay more per unit.
I understand the govt insulation scheme doesn’t include walls, is that correct? Maybe they’re scared if people open walls to insulate they’ll find the disaster lurking behind (rot).
The same goes for the cost of petrol for people living in remote areas who’re hit with not only high unemployment, total reliance on private transport, but fuel prices that are often double what you and I pay living in town. A triple whammy for a group on the lowest incomes.
24/7 free primary care for all under sixes (and we are funding this, unlike National)
While commendable this is- families I have connact with all comment on the same basis. The pressure on the budget once their children turn 6. We go from the current subsidy to no subsidy (Unless you are fortunate to have a community card). Even for middle class families the stress on the budget is substaintial. Yet I have not seen anything to address this transition. The only thing that is currently assisting many families are the extremely low interest rates, which I note does not factor into cost of living or inflation figures.