More than 200,000 children live in poverty in New Zealand, and it isn't just a number. It means, for instance, that 20 percent of children are in households where food runs out sometimes or often. This rises to 30 percent when we look at Māori children and a devastating 46 percent for Pasifika children. Now, some might ask the question, and I believe I heard the question being asked while finance Minister, Grant Robertson, was outlining our plans in this Budget: can we afford to take the next step in addressing child poverty in this country when we are in the middle of recovering from COVID-19? My answer is simple: we cannot afford not to.