The Government says youth offending and school attendance are moving in the right direction, but a sizeable share of children remain in material hardship and more are living in households on a main benefit.

The Annual Report on the Child and Youth Strategy and the Child Poverty Related Indicators, tabled in Parliament this morning, shows:

• Offending rates for children and young people improved on 2023/24 and are significantly lower than in 2019/20.
• Substantiated findings of child abuse and neglect fell between 2023/24 and 2024/25.
• Regular school attendance is improving for learners aged 6 to 16.
• Most parents had access to maternity care and reported coping well with parenting.
• The number of children living in food-insecure households decreased between 2023/24 and 2024/25.

At the same time, 14.3% of children were in material hardship in 2024/25, and the number of children in households receiving a main benefit increased over the last year.

“These figures reflect the challenges of continuing tough economic circumstances, which we are tackling head-on,” Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston said. She pointed to work on jobs, education, health, housing and law and order, alongside a “social investment” approach to prioritise programmes with evidence of impact.

The report lists ongoing actions, including Healthy School Lunches, Early Childhood Education Food, Food Secure Communities and Building Financial Capability to reduce material hardship; the Attendance Action Plan and Lifting Achievement work programme to improve attendance and attainment; and Kahu Taurima, the Healthy Homes initiative and the immunisation work programme to help cut potentially avoidable hospitalisations.

This is the second annual report under the current child and youth framework set in 2024. The release did not include detailed counts for each indicator; the Ministry of Social Development has published the full documents and data on its website.