very perceptionive of you but it is not a point of order.
My
My question is to the Minister for
My question is to the Minister
New Zealand has been ranked 34th out
the Sustainable Development Goals
Before
Before I call the minister my office
Before I call the minister my office was advised this answer may be
longer than
was advised this answer may be longerthan normal. Whilst
in relation
ministerial responsibility forthe indicators of child poverty and
child abuse in
goals 1 and 16 and not the wellbeing of all children, I
have no responsibility
over how UNICEF determine their ranks
ranks but I would note that the report itself states that
it is limited by the
lack of comparable data
limited by the lack of comparable
analysis of the reasons behind
Government is absolutely committed to child wellbeing, which is why
we have increased
have increased childcare support for
benefit rates for families with children for the first time in 40
years, increased working for families
years, increased working for
year Family Incomes Package in Budget 2017, which
will lift families'
families' incomes by an average of
children living in families receiving
receiving less than median income by 50,000.
50,000. We have introduced free doctors
doctors visits and prescriptions for children
children under 13, extended paid parental
parental leave and increased parental
parental tax credits as well as helping
parental tax credits as well as helping to... Bring the
answer to a conclusion. ..Start an extra 165,000
Kickstart breakfasts per week to
school children
school children across the country. Supplementary question. Why did
she state yesterday that
don't think that characterises my answer. I was talking
about a single measure of poverty.
I recall explaining that poverty
and poverty are on a spectrum, that
country that I was aware of that had successfully
successfully used 1 measure to measure poverty. Supplementary
question. When her Government signed UP
question. When her Government signed up to the
up to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and
pledged to halve poverty according
to national definitions, what was
her national
responsibilities but I am aware, and I
I have stated in this House before, that
that a whole of Government, cross Government
Government group are working on how we define those goals.
There are a number of them.
we define those goals. There are a
countries have to report twice between signing and 2030.
Supplementary question.
Zealand on track to halve poverty by 2030, as her Government has pledged
to do, when she cannot even tell
Speaker, we don't have to define it anymore than is
done on an annual basis by MSD
over a number of measures. Whether it's
by income. Whether it
Whether it is by household income before
before and after housing. Whether it is by hardship. This Government
data to get underneath the causes of poverty
poverty and, as I said in the House yesterday, we are using
those measures consistently over
budgets as the economy grows and gives us
the ability to invent back into
our
INTERRUPTION Order! Supplementary question.
Was the minister embarrassed to read
New Zealand being singled out in
the UNICEF report as
Zealand being singled out in the
national income alone is no guarantee of a good
record in sustaining
guarantee of a good record in
difficulty with the UNICEF report is that it does
rely in its conclusions on
on a number of measures that New Zealand
Zealand was not able to provide data for.
for. New Zealand was not the only country
country in some of those measures. In fact, one of the measures
that was used, I'm aware, was
only developed for the EU, so that means
that countries
that countries like Australia, the UK
that countries like Australia, the
Zealand and a myriad of others outside
outside of New Zealand were not able to
to comply with. It was a very specific
specific question in relation to a quote
quote in that report about high national incomes
national incomes and poor outcomes for children.
for children. The ministerjust... The
The question was very much an opinion
opinion question. Would the minister be
The question was addressed. Supplementary question.
Supplementary question. When the minister
minister spends all this effort on defending
defending the poor outcomes for our children,
children, is she seriously saying this is as good as
it gets and if so, where is her aspiration for
our
Government doesn't rest, and hasn't rested, and Budget
'17 showed
investment on those families on the lowest incomes and we
will continue with the myriad of policies
and programmes that we
put into place but they
but they are guided by the tremendous
tremendous data that this Government has,
has, that this country has, to get underneath
underneath the drivers of poverty, because
because it is notjust enough to talk
talk about it, this Government is doing something about it.
doing something about it. . Supplementary question. As part of
the sustainable development poverty
goals, what is she halving
the sustainable development poverty
Well, I am one minister ofa number of ministers that have
responsibility for the sustainability
responsibility for the
sustainability goals and, as I said, there
sustainability goals and, as I said,
group looking to define what that will look like but in the...
INTERRUPTION In the poverty area there
will not be
be one simple measure. There cannot be
be because poverty cannot be defined by
by that. There will be a number of measures by
by that. There will be a number of measures by which we will define it.
INTERRUPTION Order! Point of order. I
seek leave to correct an answer that
I gave to question
question five. Order! I need you to put the leave.
Leave is sought for that
that purpose. There is no objection. I