Reading the Herald one morning over my Weetbix, I was surprised to find an article written by Steve Howie, an Auckland paediatrician. He was at Grammar and med school with my older brother, and by all accounts an excellent man, so I took special notice.

His theme was that lucky Kiwis need to keep making a lot of noise about child poverty, not just in faraway places such as Africa, but also in New Zealand, where according to Ministry of Social Development figures, 17 per cent of our children are living without basic needs being met.

He’s right. Kiwis are generally fortunate, but we shouldn’t cease to push for improvement, particularly for our most vulnerable.