Sweden, which has near eradicated material hardship but faces a similarly growing gap in income levels, offers free nutritious school lunches to children in all primary schools.

Free school lunches could address a "blind spot" in efforts to eliminate child poverty in New Zealand, a pair of visiting international experts say.

The Labour-led Government has set a target of halving child poverty in 10 years, with a target of reducing material hardship from about 15 per cent of children to seven per cent.

However, Swedish professors Carina Mood and Janne Jonsson were wary that an emphasis on measurements might not address the material hardship many New Zealand children face.

"Governments here must look out for becoming caught in a trap in trying to improve measures ... then they will lose the opportunity to help children directly," Jonsson said.

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STUFF Swedish professors Carina Mood and Janne Jonsson are in New Zealand speaking to policy makers about efforts to address child poverty.

Mood said children were a "blind spot" in the New Zealand welfare system requiring both direct reforms and measurements.

"You used to be ahead of Sweden. There are plenty of things that could be done ... a fantastic reform would be school lunches."

Sweden, which has near eradicated material hardship, but faces a similarly growing gap in income levels, offers free nutritious school lunches to children in all primary schools.

Mood and Jonsson are meeting with policy makers in Wellington this week.

Childcare is heavily subsidised and the cost is relative to a family's income, Mood said.

It comes with a proviso - the pair aren't experts on the Government's budget, for instance - but such measures would help pull children out of material hardship.

Te Kāea The CEO of the KidsCan charity that helps the country's most needy children says they're fielding an increase in calls for support from high decile schools. Julie Chapman says the high cost of living in Auckland is causing the spike.

They also recommended the Government survey children on their living standard - including their possessions and spending money.

Such research is rarely done, Jonsson said, but illuminates the impact a rising gap in income levels has on children.

"There is a risk that as the gap becomes bigger, the children at the bottom, their distance from children at the median will increase. The worry is that they will suffer in their social relations."

Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft​ said New Zealand has dropped the ball on a child centred approach in the last 30-years.

"In Sweden … they talk a lot about 'in-kind benefits', that is benefits that are tangible, such as free school lunches for all children."

Comparable charitable efforts to feed children showed the incredible generosity of New Zealanders, he said, but were precarious compared to ingrained government policy.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has put forward the Child Poverty Reduction Bill, which would set a measurable definition of poverty at 50 per cent of the median income.

She said on Tuesday ideas like school lunches and "direct welfare" would be considered under the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy as they consulted with experts and the public.

"The children's commissioner is working to bring a child's perspective to the strategy too by directly surveying them. We will report back on the strategy in 2019," she said.

"Child poverty reduction is a top priority for this Government. It's my ambition for New Zealand to be the best place to be a child. That means we have to address child poverty and child wellbeing."

National spokesperson for children Alfred Ngaro said, while in government, the party brought in a program to feed children breakfast in decile one and two schools.

"In most cases we believe parents have a responsibility to provide meals for their children."

In 2015, a 'Feed the Kids' bill aimed to provide free lunches to decile one and two school students was voted for by Labour, Greens and NZ First, but voted down by National.

The 2017 report of the Child Poverty Monitor showed 12 per cent of children, or 135,000, were living in material hardship - in households without seven or more items, from a total list of 17, which are considered necessary for their wellbeing.

A 2017 Ministry of Social Development paper estimated 40 per cent of children in material hardship live in households with working parents.

ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft says New Zealand has dropped the ball on a child-centred approach in the last 30-years.

Food needs in schools have grown by at least 10 per cent in seven years and that comes down to an increased cost of living, according to children's charity KidsCan chief executive and founder Julie Chapman.

"If you want to be able to supply food for every child [in decile 1 to 4 schools] then you'll need that Government funding."

KidsCan has supplied 30,000 students from 732 low-decile schools with 150,000 loaves of bread a year and items like baked beans, scroggin, muesli bars, fruit pots and yoghurt. But other large programmes like KickStart provide breakfast, The Ministry of Health offer Fruit in Schools and Fonterra offers Milk in Schools.

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