Kasina Lim 222.258 Visual Communication: Week 1 Independent Study

I've researched different views on child poverty so that I have a variety of ideas to choose from before deciding on a final stand point. These articles helped me gather key words and themes, which I've jotted down through a word cloud.

Consequences/ How does poverty affect the child?

One in four Kiwi kids are growing up in income poverty and one in six are going without the basic essentials like fresh fruit and vegetables and visits to the doctor.
When a child grows up in poverty they miss out on things most New Zealanders take for granted. They are living in cold, damp, over-crowded houses, they do not have warm or rain-proof clothing, their shoes are worn, and many days they go hungry. It can mean doing badly at school, not getting a good job, having poor health and falling into a life of crime.
There is an accepted relationship between poverty experienced in childhood and a greater likelihood of mental health problems through the life span.

Statistics

As many as 28 per cent of New Zealand children – about 295,000 – currently live in poverty.

Causes of Child Poverty/ New Zealanders views on child poverty

80% of people surveyed agreed that child poverty is an important problem in New Zealand. However New Zealanders generally underestimate how bad the problem is. New research shows New Zealanders' views on child poverty. Opinion was evenly divided on the primary cause of child poverty in New Zealand. Forty percent said it was due to economic factors including unemployment, low wages and rising living costs while another forty percent thought child poverty was caused by bad parenting choices; neglect, lack of budgeting, and not prioritising children ahead of spending on alcohol, smokes, drugs etc.
Twelve percent attributed poverty to systemic failures and lack of government policies and support and nine percent blamed lack of education and uneducated parents.

Why is it such an issue in New Zealand?/ Income inequality

One of the consequences of inequality is that it creates a large group of disenfranchised people who feel forgotten and alienated. They then become easy targets for peddlers of fear and hate.
The richest 10 percent of households held half of New Zealand's wealth, while the poorest 40 percent held just 3 percent of total wealth.

Race

The prevalence of child poverty and mental health issues is likely to be higher for Māori and Pasifika than for other children and young people.
Of the quarter of a million Maori children in New Zealand, a third were living in poverty and hardship.

Some Sayings