Sole parents - particularly single mothers - are struggling to feed their children, a University of Otago study has found.
The study, which was published in the Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand, found that single mothers are struggling with food insecurity with accessibility to nutritious food "limited or uncertain".
Previous research has shown 19 percent of New Zealand children were living in households experiencing severe-to-moderate food insecurity.
And with the cost of living increasing, this food insecurity is becoming even more of a problem with study lead author Dr Grace Macaulay stating the results are "compelling and sobering".
"Women were missing meals, neglecting personal and medical needs, and experiencing significant stress in feeding their families," Dr Macaulay said in a release.
"They also expressed their concerns for the flow-on effects of low-income and food insecurity on their children, including reduced quantities of food, repeated exposure to stress and constrained social and recreational opportunities."
Six women interviewed for the study described how hard it was to budget, what they had to sacrifice and the coping mechanisms they used to make ends meet.
"The women's numerous coping strategies and sacrifices were, at times, and sometimes often, unable to achieve adequately provisioning for their families - and likely masked the full extent of hardship faced," Dr Macaulay said.
Co-author Dr Mavis Duncanson, from the Department of Women's and Children's Health, wants the Government to step up and actually try and solve the problem of food insecurity in New Zealand.
"Our findings point to the urgent need for social policy reform to increase financial support for low-income households if we want to see children and families flourishing and ensure food security for all," Dr Duncanson said.
The researchers believe urgent action needs to be taken to enable every household in New Zealand to enjoy nutritious food and not worry about being set back financially.
"Tamariki and rangatahi and those who care for them need effective and equitable action implemented urgently to mitigate harm to the next generations and, indeed, to the fabric of our society," co-author Dr Jean Simpson said.
