Auckland art installation highlights 'shocking' number of Kiwi babies born into poverty

February 17, 2020

Spend My Super founder Liz Grieve says the organisation set up the installation to encourage older people to donate to the cause.

An art installation in Auckland showing the number of babies born into poverty in New Zealand has been set up by a charity aiming to get older people to donate to the cause.

Every day 160 babies are born in New Zealand, and one in four of them is born into poverty.

The visual representation of those statistics, on show at Takutai Square in Britomart, was set up by Spend My Super - an organisation encouraging people at the other end of the age scale to help.

Organisation founder Liz Grieve told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning it started when she got a letter offering her superannuation.

"I'm in a very fortunate position and I thought "I don't need this but I know that an awful lot of people out there who could use it", so that was where the idea was born," she said.

"I'm encouraging generous superannuitants to donate some or all of their superannuation for child poverty."

Ms Grieve said New Zealand had "a very, very shocking rate of child poverty".

"We've done a great job in New Zealand looking after superanui. Only three per cent of superannuitants . are living in poverty, the rest are reasonably comfortable."

However, she added, "I absolutely do not want anybody who can't afford to give to feel that they should be giving, but there are people out there who don't need their superannuation."

Ms Grieve said research showed one per cent of people don't apply for their superannuation and that at least three per cent don't actually need it to live a good life.

"If they could give just a little and we all got together on this it would help," she said.

But it wasn't just older people. Ms Grieve said several of her friends and younger people were getting on board.

People can donate online here , where 100 per cent of money raised goes to the 12 charities Spend My Super has chosen.

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