Recommendations
- New Zealand needs to remove discrimination from the Working for Families package and address child poverty as a standalone issue, not in conjunction with providing incentives to work. This will involve the removal of all work requirements from child related family assistance.
- Payments targeted at the part of the population with the lowest income will be the best use of resources allocated to alleviating child poverty.
- A simplification of the Working for Families package is needed, in terms of definitions of requirements for eligibility and cohesiveness with other child related benefits within the welfare system
- Implementation of a child impact assessment model in the development of policy or government activities as suggested by Mason and Hanna in 2009 and supported by the Child Poverty Action Group New Zealand in 2011.
