Children Can’t Eat a Promise: Rethinking the Education-to-Employment “Silver Spoon”

Commentary — Evidence at a glance

The Commentary - Rethinking the EducationEmployment Silver Spoon shows that education and work can help on average as a pathway out of poverty, but for many whānau the promise breaks: returns are uneven, debt is heavy, and the labour market often fails to deliver a family wage.

The following are evidence briefs to support the commentary which argues that an effective child‑poverty strategy must pair skills with income floors, fair pay and predictable hours – so kids aren’t asked to live on hope today.

Evidence Brief 1 — Uneven returns on tertiary education. Who gains and who misses out; degree vs. sub-degree impacts; differences by field, gender, and ethnicity. Look for: the spread of earnings and employment five years post-study.

Evidence Brief 2 — Student indebtedness. How the user‑pays model shifts risk onto low-income families, who borrow for living costs, typical balances, and repayment times; why studying can deepen hardship for student parents. Look for: borrowing trends and the rules that remove support when parents study.

Evidence Brief 3 — Labour‑market f(r)ictions. Qualification–job mismatch, in‑work poverty and persistent pay gaps; why “get a job” isn’t always a route out of poverty. Look for: the share of graduates in mismatched roles and evidence on working‑poor households.

Reference list. Full sources underpinning the commentary and all three briefs.

Post-writing thoughts…

Want better pay?

Take your pay to school,

Invest in yourself—

One day, the cheque will come through,

Your child can live on hope,

The promise will come true