tax credits, housing policy, legislative mechanisms, education and child care, health, employment and community strategies. 22. The focus on child poverty was reflected in the 2013 Universal Periodic Review of New Zealand by the UN Human Rights Council, in which 13 child poverty related recommendations were issued, all of which were accepted by the New Zealand Government. 23. As the UMG’s report to the Committee indicates, the numbers of children in New Zealand who live in poor households and face material deprivation remains unacceptably high for a developed nation. The correlation between household income poverty, poor quality housing and poor child health outcomes, including hospitalisation and mortality rates, is extremely concerning and is further compounded by ethnic disparities, with disproportionate numbers of Maori and Pacific children living in households with incomes below the relative income poverty line.9 24. The Government has introduced new policy measures that reflect the EAG recommendations. These have included support for food-in-schools programmes, a small increase in social security benefits (albeit accompanied by more onerous worktesting requirements and tougher sanctions for non-compliance) and increasing the age threshold for free primary healthcare for children from 6 years to 13 years. Furthermore, following the general election in late 2014, the Prime Minister indicated that developing further strategies to address child poverty would be a major focus on the incoming Government.10 25. However, as the UMG report notes, to date the Government is yet to take any steps towards developing a systemic approach to reducing household income poverty and its impact on child health and well-being. It is notable that the EAG recommended that the Government develop a systemic, whole-of-government strategy underpinned by legislation as “a first step” in addressing child poverty.11 Parliament’s Health Committee also has recommended that the Government develop an action plan for reducing child poverty, with annual targets and a transparent monitoring system. 12 In its response to the Health Committee’s recommendation, the Government did not address this recommendation directly and pointed to its work in developing the 9 UMG report to UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, 1 November 2015, p 9 - the UMG notes that over 40,000 children and hospitalized per year due to illness with a socio-economic gradient, 960 children die per year as a result of causes related to overcrowding; and Maori and Pacific children are respectively 20 and 60 times more likely to contract rheumatic fever than other ethnicities 10 http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10535794/Child-poverty-on-Key-agenda 11 Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty, Solutions to Child Poverty in New Zealand: Evidence for Action, p vii, http://www.occ.org.nz/assets/Uploads/EAG/Final-report/Final-report-Solutions-to-childpoverty-evidence-for-action.pdf 12 Health Committee, Report of Health Committee on Inquiry into improving child health outcomes and reducing child abuse with a focus on preconception until three years of age, Recommendation 5 5