Stuff takes a look at the people in Auckland working to solve some of society's most ingrained problems.

More than one in 10 children in New Zealand are living in material hardship, and tens of thousands are going without healthy food.

The Government is being urged to significantly accelerate its child poverty efforts in order to dent the dire poverty figures, which come from the latest Child Poverty Monitor report.

The annual study from University of Otago and the Children's Commissioner, released on Monday, has counted 174,000 children as living in homes which can't always afford healthy food.

Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft said families were not able to keep up with the "ever-increasing costs of daily living, like rent and putting food on the table".

LAWRENCE SMITH/STUFF Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft says big and bold changes is needed by the Government if it is truly going to reduce child poverty.

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The monitoring report said 148,000 children, or 13 per cent, were without six or more essentials, such as lacking two good pairs of shoes and the ability to see a doctor when needed — meaning they suffered material hardship.

"That's a city bigger than Dunedin, full of children whose families can't afford the basics like having enough to eat, sturdy shoes and warm clothes," Becroft said.

A total of 65,000 children, or 6 per cent, were without nine of more of these essentials — therefore living in severe material hardship.

ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF Reducing child poverty is a major political aim for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Another measure — children living in homes where income is less than 50 per cent of the median ($1016 a week) before housing costs are deducted — shows 17 per cent of households with children are below this poverty line.

When Labour came into power in 2017, this was measured at 16 per cent of children living in poverty.

A second measure shows 23 per cent of children are living in homes where income is less than 50 per cent of the median after housing costs.

Housing costs are eating up half of the income in 30 per cent of these low-income homes.

123RF.COM The 2018 Child Poverty Monitor report has found 13 per cent of children live in households that have material hardship, and 6 per cent live in homes which experience severe material hardship.

The Government has put poverty measures into law, and set an official target in May for reducing child poverty, aiming for 70,000 children, or reducing the formerly 16 per cent before housing costs figure to 10 per cent.

The report notes "significant acceleration" in child poverty reduction will be needed for the Government to meet its target.

"I want to see family incomes dramatically raised by increasing benefits and making the minimum wage a living wage," Becroft said.

"And the Government needs to move much faster at increasing the supply of social housing – building, buying and repurposing – and working closely with community-based housing providers.

Treasury has estimated the number of children in poverty would reduce to between 10 per cent and 12 per cent due to the Government's package of welfare changes introduced not long after the election.

Recently, Ardern has referred to this advise when speaking about the Government's record on child poverty, and appears confident that 50,000 and 70,000 children will be lifted from poverty.