SDG #1 No Poverty

In New Zealand, there are around 682,500 people, including around 220,000 children, in poverty in this country: that’s one in seven households. Some groups are more likely than others to be in poverty: Beneficiaries, children, Māori and Pacific peoples, and sole parents are more likely to experience poverty than other groups. This means one in seven households in New Zealand are experiencing hunger and food insecurity, poor health outcomes, reduced life expectancy, debt, and unaffordable or bad housing.

Progress has also been limited in other regions, such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, which together cover 80 percent of those living in extreme poverty. New threats brought on by climate change, conflict and food insecurity, mean even more work is needed to bring people out of poverty. Women are more likely to live in poverty than men due to unequal access to paid work, education and property.

Poverty exists in a number of forms, and is caused by a number of different things. Getting rid of poverty, however, is one of the greatest challenges facing the people of our planet. This very day, 836 million people are living in extreme poverty.  

What does this mean? It means, too many people, too many New Zealanders, are still struggling for the most basic human needs.