New reporting out today shows that while most young Kiwis are doing well, further progress is needed so all children and young people thrive.

No significant change to child poverty rates under successive governments reinforces that lifting children out of material hardship will be an ongoing challenge.

The Government has set a target to lift 15,000 children out of persistent child poverty by 2035.

Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says.

Worsening child poverty rates support the Coalition Government’s focus on reducing the cost of living and getting people into work, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says.