New Zealand’s low child wellbeing rankings demands bold rethink of our economic priorities

A new UNICEF report shows current economic priorities are failing our children. It's time to put wellbeing at the centre.

‘Aotearoa New Zealand’s ranking of 32 out of 36 wealthy countries for child wellbeing is a clear sign that our current economic model is not working for our youngest citizens’, says WEAll Director Gareth Hughes. 

The latest UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 19, Fragile Gains – Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World, places New Zealand near the bottom of wealthy nations for overall child wellbeing (32nd out of 36 rich countries). 

Most alarmingly, it ranks New Zealand last for child and youth mental health, with the highest youth suicide rate of any high-income country.

‘These are not just rankings. They are a reflection of values. And right now, our systems are valuing the wrong things,’ said Hughes. ‘Right now, the success of our country is too narrowly focused on GDP growth, rather than how well people are thriving’.

‘These outcomes aren’t inevitable. They are the result of choices,’ said Hughes. ‘With Budget 2025 just around the corner, we have a real opportunity to choose differently, to prioritise policies and investments that put children’s wellbeing at the heart of economic planning.’

The Government budget is about how our leaders decide to manage our economy as a whole, including how to distribute our collective resources. What they choose to fund or not fund is a political decision and tells us what they value. 

Hughes says a government focused on wellbeing would choose to invest in livable incomes, mental health services, suicide prevention, safe housing, and access to healthy food and quality education.

‘This is about fulfilling our collective promise to future generations,’ he said. ‘It’s about redesigning our economy so that it truly serves people - starting with our children.’

ENDS