What We Do

For Suffrage Centennial year Epsom Girls Grammar School held a series of workshops that brought together two of CPAG’s founding members: Susan St John (who was the guest speaker) and Janfrie Wakim. They formed a small group of people alarmed by the effects the 1991 ‘Mother of All Budgets’ was having on children.

CPAG published four pieces of research in 1996, including pieces on housing for low-income families, an analysis of party policies for the 1996 election, and a successful challenge to IRD for an advertisement with false information about child support. Undertaking and publishing research, as well as making submissions on proposed legislation and highlighting the consequences for children and families has been a significant focus for CPAG. Initially this work was undertaken by volunteer academics and others in their spare time, and later augmented by employed researchers as funds allowed. CPAG publications and submissions can be found here.

In 2001 CPAG held its first Post-Budget Breakfast at the Auckland City Mission. The Post-Budget Breakfast is now an annual event, with multiple events held across New Zealand. Every year CPAG examines the Government’s budget through a child-focused lens. CPAG’s analysis has often led to increased media attention on child poverty, and attracted many high-profile speakers, audience members and appreciation from organisations working actively to relieve the effects of poverty.   

CPAG’s landmark report Room for Improvement examined New Zealand housing policies and their implications for our children.

CPAG continues to make ongoing suggestions to improve housing policies, especially as the situation has worsened over the last decade.

In 2005 the Crown attempted to halt the Human Rights Act proceedings, on the discriminatory nature of the Child Tax Credit, on the grounds that CPAG was not directly affected by the Child Tax Credit and therefore was a non-affected party. Both the Human Rights Tribunal and the High Court rejected the Crown’s claim.   

CPAG proceeded with the case which remains a critical human rights law precedent as it affirms the right of non-governmental organisations to challenge policy on behalf of others without the organisation itself needing to be directly affected.   

After 11 years of advocacy by CPAG and others, GP visits became free for children under 6 years in 2011.

Since Nov 2018 GP visits for children under 14 have been free. Read more about our efforts here.

The Court of Appeal judges agreed that discrimination of the Child Tax Credit, named the In work Tax Credit in 2004, was proven but found it was justified on the grounds the intent was to incentivise sole parents to work.

Although disheartened with the outcome, the case kept child poverty on the public and political agenda and is considered a landmark human rights case in New Zealand. CPAG decided an appeal to the Supreme Court was fruitless and terminated the legal route to end the discrimination inherent in the implementation of the In-Work Tax Credit.

Over the years CPAG has been involved in a number of action-orientated events.  On 6 September 2014 more than 1500 people marched up Auckland’s Queen Street to demand action on child poverty. The hikoi was blessed by Ngāti Whātua Orākei and was held in partnership with the Tick for Kids campaign to raise awareness of child poverty in the lead up to the 2014 general election.  

In the winter of 2015, housing issues were slowly gaining media and political traction and CPAG wanted to bring attention to the poor-quality and unaffordable houses many low-income families were living in. CPAG launched a campaign for healthy and affordable homes. 

Following this campaign, CPAG was part of the Hikoi for Homes event with the key message “everyone deserves a home”. Auckland Action Against Poverty, First Union, UNITE and other organisations also joined the initiative. Hikoi were held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and attracted a lot of media attention.   

Park Up For Homes was an initiative started by a small group of friends in Mangere, who decided to rally together in a show of solidarity with those who were living in a car or garage that winter. Through the group’s connection with Alan Johnson, CPAG readily supported the cause.   

The #ParkUpForHomes movement saw over 2000 people rally together over nine locations to sleep in their cars. They called for all kiwis to have a safe, warm home to live in and developed greater public awareness of the severity of the housing crisis and the true extent of families living in cars, garages and other unsafe housing.  

A Minister for Child Poverty Reduction is named. The Child Poverty Reduction Act is developed and passed the following year by cross party support (except the ACT party).

Throughout 2020 and 2021 CPAG made a sustained effort to hold the government to account over its lack of implementation of the recommendations of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group. You can read more about our efforts here.