Wellington, Nov 7 (IANS): The New Zealand government will increase the income of 346,000 families by an average of NZ$20 ($14) per week as a part of new support measures amid Covid-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

In a suite of improvements to family support from April 2022, the government aims to lift an estimated 6,000 more children out of poverty, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Covid-19 has been tough on families and has contributed to the increase in the cost of living. Increasing support for low and middle income families to help cover the basics is the fair thing to do," Ardern said in a statement.

"Ending child poverty is a priority for this government," she said, adding that the changes are targeted towards the lowest income families.

Those with family income less than NZ$40,000 dollars benefit the most with an average increase of NZ$26 per week.

"This change is also on top of our significant boost to benefit rates by between NZ$32 and NZ$55 per adult earlier this year and is just one extra thing we can do for families in these tough times. I know it will make a difference," Ardern said.

The changes announced on Saturday will also see an increase of the abatement rate for the Family Tax Credit from 25 per cent to 27 per cent.