hardship compared to 17% from two parent families.101 Similarly, a greater percentage of children in families with more than 4 children were identified as being in hardship – 35% of children aged 6+ in households with more than 4 children were identified as being in hardship compared to 22% in one child households.102 Furthermore, disabled children are more likely to live in low-income households and in socio-economically deprived areas than non-disabled children103. 85. The Child Poverty Technical report noted that, in order for New Zealand to meet its SDG commitments, child income poverty and material deprivation rates will need to be halved by 2030. Irrespective of the income measure used to define income poverty, this will require a policy and resource commitment sufficient to tens of thousands of children to be lifted out of poverty over the next decade. Over 200,000 children live in homes with households with income 50% or less of the median household income, and 140,000 live in households with income 40% or less of the median. 86. The Commission therefore welcomes the new Government’s designation of child poverty as a policy priority of paramount importance, with the Prime Minister assuming Ministerial oversight of child poverty reduction. In January 2018, the Government introduced the Child Poverty Reduction Bill.104 The Bill is designed along the lines of the model recommended by the Expert Advisory on Solutions to Child Poverty (EAG) issued in 2012.105 87. The Bill seeks, among other things, to legislate an ongoing obligation upon the Government to set periodic income poverty and material deprivation reduction targets, strategies to achieve the targets and annual reporting on progress to Parliament. It also requires, as part of the annual budgetary process, that the Government annually report to Parliament on progress made in reducing child poverty and provide an indication of proposed appropriations directed at child poverty. Recommendation 17 a. Prioritise the enactment of legislation to reduce child poverty and material deprivation, aligned with New Zealand’s 2030 targets under the SDGs. b. Ensure that the legislation includes a definition of poverty, contains appropriate accountability mechanisms and is supported by the development of necessary policy and fiscal infrastructure and targeted budgetary appropriations. 28