Child Poverty in Taranaki: Analysis of Impacts and Recommendations

This essay delves into the pressing issue of child poverty in Taranaki, a region in New Zealand, highlighting its significant impact on the health, community, and overall society. The essay reveals that a substantial percentage of children in Taranaki live in poverty, primarily within low-income families residing in rural areas. It explores how this poverty contributes to various health issues, including malnutrition and increased mortality rates, and also adversely affects children's mental health and their integration within the community. The essay further examines the widening financial disparities within the region and the potential for long-term negative consequences on the children's development. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for government intervention, suggesting strategies to improve the financial circumstances of affected families and address mental health challenges. The essay underscores the need for governmental bodies to consider factors that deal with the establishment of the stability of the mental health of the concerned members of the society.

Running head: CHILD POVERTY IN TARANAKI
CHILD POVERTY IN TARANAKI
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CHILD POVERTY IN TARANAKI
A notable region located towards the west of the North Island, New Zealand, Taranaki
derives its name from the significant major geographical feature in the area, the stratovolcano on
Mount Taranaki. The majority of the activities of the area is located around the city of New
Plymouth. The city is observed to be the residence of almost 65% of the total population of the
area. The area of Taranaki is known to have a population of almost 118000 people as observed
during the census of June 2017 (Dieffenbach, 2013). The following essay deals with the child
poverty that exists within the territories of Taranaki. The essay further proceeds to discuss the
impact of the child poverty on the health, the community and the society that has been existent in
Taranaki. The essay finally concludes with the recommendations on the ways to effectively
manage the child poverty in Taranaki.
A huge number of kids who have been living their childhood in the land of Taranaki are
reported to have been living in poor conditions. The children who have been living in the
concerned area tend to belong majorly to the families that are categorized to be grouped under
the section of the low-income families and are known to be residing majorly in the areas that
might be categorized under the various rural towns and the very few number of suburbs that are
present within the area (Stuff.co.nz., 2018). The children who have been living in the poor
situations within the country are observed to amount to almost 23% of the total number of
children that are present within the concerned area (Radionz.co.nz., 2018). The children who
belong to the families with a number of young children, the families wherein the annual income
is low as well as the families that are managed by a single parent are generally observed to be
facing the situations that are related to the poverty.
The poverty conditions that are faced by the children in the area are often observed to
have been having impacts on the health and the well-being of the residents of the concerned

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area. The various news reports on this issue might relate to the mortality rate of the children who
have been residing within the specific area within the country. The experts consider attribute the
widening of the financial gap within the poor and the financially well-off sections of the society
(Childpoverty.co.nz., 2018). The children belonging to the various low-income families are often
observed to be suffering from various nutritional diseases and shortcomings which ultimately
leads to the conditions that might relate to the malnutritional conditions and even death of the
concerned children who have been residing in the area (Nzherald.co.nz., 2018). The pediatricians
who have been active in the area often refer to the condition to be the depiction of the inequality
towards a certain section of residing members of Aotearoa.
The poverty conditions that are faced by the children in the area are often observed to
have been having impacts on the communities that exist within the territorial boundaries of the
concerned area in discussion, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand. The various communities
that have been active within the society tend to work in favor of the various children who have
been known to be residing without having access to the various necessities (Gillespie-Bennett et
al., 2013). The conditions of poverty that are faced by the concerned children might have a long-
lasting effect on their minds and thus might lead to the conditions wherein they might face a
certain trauma or an inferiority complex form their fellow contemporaries who hail from the
wealthier families (Tdhb.org.nz., 2018). This might also lead to the conditions of a class
difference among the concerned children. The conditions of the increasing issues in the matters
that pertain to the poverty among the children in the concerned society might also lead to the
development of various mental health issues among the concerned children.
The poverty conditions that are faced by the children in the area are often observed to
have been having impacts on the society that exists within the territorial boundary of the region

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in discussion, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand. The Taranaki society is known to depict the
increasing gap that has been existing among the financially well-off sections of the society and
those sections of the society that compose of the families wherein the children face the
conditions of poverty (Rashbrooke, 2013). This has led to the increase in the deprivation rates
that are related to the families that cannot afford the various amenities which are considered to be
essentials for the concerned families that fall under the broader category of the wealthy families
that reside within the given territories.
The issues that are faced by the concerned sections of the society are might require the
intervention of the governmental bodies of the concerned region. The governmental bodies might
be advised to deal with the various matters that pertain to the eradication of the poverty that is
existent among the concerned sections within the society. The governmental bodies that are
active within the territories might be advised to introduce the factors that are related to the
various considerations on the part of the government in order to deal with the matters that are
related to the financial upliftment of the concerned sections of the society. The government
might also be advised to deal with the factors that deal with the establishment of the stability of
the mental health of the concerned members of the society.
Thus, from the above discussion it might be concluded that the Taranaki society faces a
huge amount of the issues that pertain to the child poverty that exists within the concerned
society in discussion, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand. The concerned governmental bodies
might be advised to follow certain actions in order to help in the improvement of the situations
that exist within the concerned society. The suggestions that have been mentioned above might
help the concerned government to put forth an improvement in the matters that pertain to the
eradication of the poverty that exists within the society of Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand.

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References
Childpoverty.co.nz. (2018). Child Poverty Monitor. Retrieved 12 July 2018 from
http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/
Dieffenbach, E. (2013). Travels in New Zealand (Vol. 1). Cambridge University Press.
Gillespie-Bennett, J., Keall, M., Howden-Chapman, P., & Baker, M. G. (2013). Improving
health, safety and energy efficiency in New Zealand through measuring and applying
basic housing standards. The New Zealand Medical Journal (Online), 126(1379).
Nzherald.co.nz. (2018). Combating child poverty will help beat child mental health issues.
Retrieved 12 July 2018 from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?
c_id=1&objectid=11858188
Radionz.co.nz. (2018). Poverty affects 23% of Taranaki kids - report. Retrieved 12 July 2018
from https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/279425/poverty-affects-23-percent-of-
taranaki-kids-report
Rashbrooke, M. (2013). Why inequality matters. Inequality: A New Zealand crisis, 1-19.
Stuff.co.nz. (2018). Child poverty shame revealed. Retrieved 12 July 2018 from
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/10411087/Child-poverty-shame-revealed
Tdhb.org.nz. (2018). Retrieved 12 July 2018 from
https://www.tdhb.org.nz/funding_planning/documents/Health-of-Children-and-
Young-People-with-Chronic-Conditions-and-Disabilities-in-Taranaki.pdf