Ardern faces calls to boost child poverty spending in budget amid glacial progress

Data released on Thursday shows too many children are still living in damp and mouldy homes, and with families who run out of food

New Zealand is still struggling to make progress on child wellbeing and experience of poverty, despite Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's commitment to the issue.

While data released earlier this year showed improvements in overall child poverty measures, new reports show that is not being felt in the lives of many vulnerable children, who are still living in unaffordable, damp and mouldy homes, and with families who run out of food. The reports on the child poverty related indicators and child and youth wellbeing strategy for 2019-20 were released on Thursday.