In the wake of last week's Budget 2021 release, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she will never be satisfied until child poverty numbers decrease even further.
When asked by Breakfast host John Campbell if the Budget could have gone further, Ardern replied: "I myself will never be satisfied until we see those child poverty numbers decrease even further."
More than 125,000 children are currently living in material hardship, but benefit increases in the Budget are projected to lift about 33,000 of them out of poverty when they kick in from July.
Ardern said "we still have more work to do" in terms of the accommodation supplement and the settings for working for families.
But she was quick to point out her Government's Budget had made the most substantial benefit increases since the 1940s, which she described as a "significant shift".
It was announced last week there will be increases in benefits for families with children ranging from $36 to $55 per week.
All benefits will get a $20 per week top up from July. A further boost is expected in April 2022, in line with the Welfare Advisory Group recommendations.
From April 1 next year, adults with children will also receive an additional $15 a week each.
"People aren't speaking out against that and what a shift that is," she said.
"You wouldn’t have thought that that could happen five years ago, 10 years ago. I would like to think that’s a recognition of the circumstances many of our children and families find themselves in and I hope a shift in the way that Government support is portrayed in this country."
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