New Zealand garners high scores for mothers and children

The annual Save the Children Mothers' Index ranked New Zealand as sixth-best country in the world to be a mum in 2009.

Ahead of New Zealand were Sweden, Norway, Australia, Iceland and Denmark, in a global research report that examined and compared the well-being of mothers and children in 158 countries.

Save the Children says the top 10 countries were given high scores for mothers' and children's health, educational and economic status. The index is included in Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers report focusing on the link between investing in early learning opportunities for young children and school success.

“Every year, our State of the World’s Mothers report reminds us of the inextricable link between the well-being of mothers and their children. More than 75 years of experience on the ground have shown us that when mothers have health care, education and economic opportunity, both they and their children have the best chance to survive and thrive.”

In one section of the report, New Zealand met six out of 10 key benchmarks of suggested minimum standards for early childhood development in wealthy countries, beating Australia, which met only two.

In New Zealand, says the report, the average woman is educated for 20 years, giving her a distinct advantage, part of the reason the country was ranked the third best in the world to live as a woman.