How New Zealand became almost the worst developed country for children

PLUS: An expert weighs in on possible cuts to major education scheme Kāhui Ako

Summary:

• A new report ranks New Zealand 32 out of 36 developed countries for child well-being, with poverty and inequality a major factor

• A leading education researcher provides the essential background to what could be lost if a major scheme to connect schools is scrapped

• Gary McCormick’s Lyttelton diary returns with a meditation on the possibilities and pitfalls of gifted luxury jets

One of the worst countries in the world to raise a child

Image credit: User 1627417 via Pixabay, Creative Commons Zero

People often say New Zealand is one of the best places in the world to raise a child – but, according to a Unicef report released this week, the opposite is true. The report ranks New Zealand 32nd out of 36 developed countries when it comes to children’s well-being. This is broadly in line with previous such reports – it is not, in other words, a new finding.

What explains this disastrous performance? Firstly, New Zealand’s youth suicide rate was, post-pandemic, the highest in the world – almost three times the average for high-income countries. New Zealand also has the second-highest proportion of children who experience bullying (28%).

New Zealand children’s physical well-being ranks 35th out of 41 countries, largely because we have the third-highest proportion of overweight children (40%). And when it comes to educational achievement, the news is only marginally better: we rank 25th out of 41.

Poverty and inequality partly to blame

As the report notes, these problems are caused in part caused by socio-economic factors. Obesity, for instance, is influenced by food ‘deserts’ – the unavailability of healthy and affordable food in poorer suburbs.