Prime Minister's first 100 days speech: 'No one has made that kind of dent into child poverty... but we want to and we will'

January 31, 2018

The Prime Minister is highlighting more details of the Child Poverty Reduction plan.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson updated the country and faced questions on the government's progress on their first 100 days, which is set to end on Saturday. 

The Labour Party's 100 day plan included ambitious goals such as the tertiary fees free policy, passing the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill and passing their Families Package. 

Watch the whole First 100 Days speech here. 

How it happened:

The Bill was announced yesterday, now the PM is striving to get 100,000 children out of poverty in 10 years.

7pm Ms Ardern's First 100 Days speech was compared to US President Donald Trump's State on the Union speech. She was asked why she chose to do her speech at the Wellington church, to which she said "I'm from Morrinsville this is a huge church," and Mr Robertson piped up, "because Charles invited us". 

6.51pm  "As long as we have those disparities, we're failing," the PM said when asked about the disproportionate Maori prison population. She said New Zealand's high prison population needs to be looked at, as the crime rating is decreasing. "It is a mark of a total failure." She goes back to housing, saying she sat in a parole hearing which did not let a prisoner out because they did not have housing on release. 

She said they also need to increase Maori home ownership rates. 

6.47pm The PM is speaking on the Green's medicinal cannabis bill . "Sometimes people want a bit more," she said, after the government had to water-down the cannabis bill to get cross party support. 

6.45pm The Living Wage movement, Mr Robertson said they are "well on the way" of implementing it. He said Speaker Trevor Mallard is increasing people who work inside parliament up to a living wage.

6.41pm We're back onto the latest polls. The PM was asked about NZ First's big fall, but she says it is "favourable as a coalition as a whole". She said "instinctively" she doesn't think NZ First has decreased by that amount. 

Labour has risen 5.4 per cent to 42 per cent, still trailing behind National on a stable 44.5 per cent, Greens are sitting on 6 per cent and NZ First have fallen to a low 3.8 per cent.  

6.38pm Mental health - They've been asked how to secure long term funding in the sector. Ms Ardern said the eight month inquiry was to create balance into taking the time to make sure it was done right, and to take action quickly. 

Mr Robertson said it also falls on priorities the government puts on DHBs. "DHBs will follow the money, the problem is we have not focused enough on mental health."

6.37pm We're onto the environment , the PM says working with farmers is important and taking into account intensification.

6.33pm The PM has been called upon to address the issue of landlords increasing rent due to the rise in student allowance and living costs, "t hat money is going to food, and their ability to live ", she said. 

6.29pm Grant Robertson just called Wellington's rental issues a "chronic problem" . He says it is about supply. He said the strengthened rights of renters can address things like 12 month leases and letting fees. 

6.27pm The PM was asked when NZ will get the 100,000 homes , she says 16,000 within the first three years, "but it ramps up to 100,000 over the ten [years]."

6.23pm Ms Ardern is addressing housing issues , and says it may develop into a "moderate intensification" from the quarter acre dream. 

6.21pm A Newshub-Reid research poll shows Labour has risen 5.4 per cent to 42 per cent , still trailing behind National on a stable 44.5 per cent , Greens are sitting on 6 per cent and NZ First have fallen to a low 3.8 per cent. 

It's one of the final pieces of Labour's 100 day plan.

6.17pm  The PM expects to make a " historic dent in child poverty " land is aiming to halve child poverty in New Zealand in under ten years.

"This is the right thing to do for children, and it's the right thing to do for all of us, " Ms Ardern said.

6.12pm "No one has made that kind of dent into child poverty in a ten year period in NZ, no one, but we want to and we will."

The three ten year targets under this government are:

• Reduce the proportion of children in low income households from 15 percent to 5 percent. This reduces the number by more than half from 160,000 to 60,000.

• Reduce the proportion of children in low income households from 20 percent to 10 percent. This is a reduction of 90,000 children from 210,000 now to 120,000.

Jacinda Ardern says she wants to work across the House to “create a commitment” to child poverty reduction.

• Reduce the proportion of children in material hardship from 13-15 percent now to 7 percent. This reduces the number of children in this group from 150,000 to 80,000.
 

6.11pm "You will know if we've passed or failed," Ms Ardern said, as we move onto the Child Poverty Reduction Bill. She is about to reveal the government's 10 year targets. 

6.09pm Ms Ardern is speaking about doing our part on the international scale, such as helping Pacific partners who may suffer due to climate change. She touched on New Zealand's high prison population, and the need to decrease it. Bill English also mentioned prison populations in his 2017 PM State of the Nation speech. 

6.05pm "We can and we should aspire to be the best place in the world to be a child," Ms Ardern said. Yesterday the government announced details of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill. 

6.02pm  Ms Ardern is touching on housing, employer, and kicking off a tax system to make it "fairer and more balanced". "We've probably made the biggest change to our education system in decades," she said, in reference to the fees free policy. 

5.57pm She says the 'why' of policies drive politicians. "So today I won't be delivering the State of the Nation speech... instead I'm going to look forward to tomorrow, and the next few hundred days after that and further still to the kind of government we will be as we work to leave a stronger, fairer, kinder New Zealand."

5.55pm Ms Ardern joked about a press release by Family First that congratulated her and her partner 'Grant' Gayford (instead of Clarke Gayford) on their first child. 

"I can clear up that rumour right now," she said and turned to Grant Robertson. 

5.54pm After introductions, Jacinda Ardern has taken the stand. 

5.47pm Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson have arrived. 

5.28pm The church is full as the audience awaits the PM and Finance Minister. 

5.25pm: The event is being held at St Peters on Willis in Wellington, with the PM said to be outlining "the achievements" of the government, and Minister of Finance explaining how the government has, or will pay for it. 

Labour's 100 day plan 2017 election policy:

Make the first year of tertiary education or training fees free from January 1, 2018.
Increase student allowances and living cost loans by $50 a week from January 1, 2018.
Pass the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill , requiring all rentals to be warm and dry
Ban overseas speculators from buying existing houses
Issue an instruction to Housing New Zealand to stop the state house sell-off
Begin work to establish the Affordable Housing Authority and begin the KiwiBuild programme
Legislate to pass the Families Package , including the Winter Fuel Payment, Best Start and increases to Paid Parental Leave, to take effect from 1 July 2018
Set up a Ministerial Inquiry in order to fix our mental health crisis
Introduce legislation to make medicinal cannabis available for people with terminal illnesses or in chronic pain
Resume contributions to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to help safeguard the provision of universal superannuation at age 65
Introduce legislation to set a child poverty reduction target and to change the Public Finance Act so the Budget reports progress on reducing child poverty
Increase the minimum wage to $16.50 an hour, to take effect from 1 April 2018, and introduce legislation to improve fairness in the workplace
Establish the Tax Working Group
Establish the Pike River Recovery Agency and assign a responsible Minister
Set up an inquiry into the abuse of children in state care
Hold a Clean Waters Summit on cleaning up our rivers and lakes
Set the zero carbon emissions goal and begin setting up the independent Climate Commission

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