NEW ZEALAND will boost payments to 346,000 families by an average of NZ$20 ($14) a week from April 2022, in a bid to lift thousands of children out of poverty, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pix) said on Saturday.
A part of new support measures to aid families hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the family tax credits will benefit at least 6,000 children, with a hike of almost $15 a week for the eldest child, and $13 for later ones.
âCovid-19 has been tough on families and has contributed to the increase in the cost of living,â a government statement quoted Ardern as saying.
âIncreasing support for low- and middle-income families to help cover the basics is the fair thing to do.â
Announcing the annual budget in May, Ardern lifted welfare benefit rates and promised billions of dollars more to tackle issues such as child poverty, climate change and the welfare of the indigenous Maori. â Reuters
