In any case there is a measure produced by her Ministry.
The 2011 Household Incomes Report summary says:
Child poverty rates were the same in 2010 as in 2009 using both the fixed line AHC measure (22%), and the 60% AHC moving line measure (25%)
There is much more detail following this statement including a table that shows the change since 1998.
Just over an hour ago a rattled (IMO) Bennett released another statement:
‘’Following recent debate on the issue, I have been misquoted in various media as saying there is no poverty line, or it’s been reported that I don’t acknowledge that a poverty line exists.
‘’What I’ve actually said is that there is no official measure of poverty in New Zealand, and that is correct."
So her Ministry spends money exhaustively examining, analysing and reporting on poverty but the results are not official. Bizarre.
If I was using the MSD report I would certainly feel justified in describing the data as 'official'. Would you?
2 comments:
To round out this picture..
Google "Fiscal Incidence NZAE In NZ 2012" for a Treasury view of the status of the deciles over the last 24 years. Track down to the all important "Final Income" of the deciles (Fig 10).
JC
Well, she could hardly release the more accurate statement "What I've actually said is a load of bullshit to avoid having to answer a difficult line of questioning in the House."
I caught part of her responses to Ardern's questions on the radio, in which she was trying to claim there aren't upwards of 20% of children living in poverty because children move in and out poverty as circumstances change. If that isn't obfuscatory bullshit, the only other alternative is she's too thick to understand what a percentage is. She may not be particularly smart, but I doubt she's that stupid.
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