Child Poverty

‍There are 25,800[i] Tamariki living in precarious circumstances in Te Tai Tokerau — representing 59.2% of all children. Of these, 6,600 tamariki (26%) are living in deep poverty, defined as surviving on less than 40% of the median household income after housing costs (AHC40).Thanks to the Child Poverty Action Group[ii] for their insightful presentation illustrating what this means in real terms: a single parent with one child living on just $492 per week — that’s $602 less per week than the New Zealand median income of $1,004.

Additionally, 13,000 Tamariki—half (50%)—are living in poverty, which is defined as subsisting on 50% of the median household income after housing costs (AHC50). In practical terms, this means a single parent with one child is trying to manage on just $502 per week, a figure that barely covers essentials and is only $10 more than what those in deep poverty (AHC40) receive. Moreover, there is a group of vulnerable children—6,200 or 24%—who reside in financially insecure households, just one setback away from falling into poverty (AHC60). This is $603 per week, $101 more per week than those in poverty (AHC50), and $111 more per week than those in deep poverty (AHC40) but $401 less per week than a typical or median household income.

There are now 5,600 more Tamariki living in some form of poverty in 2025 – up 27.7% compared with 2024. A rising number of families are more vulnerable, likely due to escalating rents, the cost of living, and increasing unemployment. There are now 3,300 more Tamariki living in poverty; 1900 more live in financially insecure circumstances and 400 more living in deep poverty.‍

‍Persistent (or chronic) poverty refers to long-term and often intergenerational deprivation. Its effects extend beyond immediate financial hardship and shape outcomes across a lifetime and across generations.

Early baseline estimates are only available for the June 2023 year, indicating that 1 in 10 Tamariki live in persistent poverty[i]. One in ten Tamariki are estimated to live in persistent poverty (in current year, and in three of the previous four years, using the BHC60 relative measure)[1]. While there are currently no regional measures published, if the same ratio is applied, there are 4,630 Tamariki who are estimated to live in persistent poverty in our region

Persistent poverty is not just a lack of money—it is a complex social condition with deep and far-reaching consequences. It affects:

Health

o   Higher rates of chronic illnesses: diabetes, heart disease, asthma[i].

o   Limited access to preventative care and nutritious food.

o   Exposure to environmental hazards (pollution, unsafe housing, contaminated water).

o   Poor mental health due to chronic stress[ii] from financial insecurity, high rates of depression, anxiety, and trauma, with children experiencing "toxic stress," which can impair brain development[iii].

o   Children from low-income families typically attend under-resourced schools.

o   Less access to tutoring, extracurricular activities, technology, and quiet study environments.

o   Leads to lower graduation rates and limited post-secondary enrolment[i].

Education

Economic

o   Persistent poverty limits access to the resources—education, professional networks, transportation—needed to move up the economic ladder[i]. This sustains intergenerational poverty, where children born into poor families are more likely to remain poor as adults[ii].

o   Lower educational attainment, health challenges, and fewer employment opportunities contribute to reduced productivity and lower lifetime earnings, and accumulation across generations often leading to lower home ownership and poverty in retirement.

o   Communities with high poverty often attract less investment, reinforcing stagnant local economies.

‍Gini coefficients help to make income inequality or equality differences visible and is a widely used proxy for income inequality. The Gini coefficient range from 0 to 1, where 0 means income to shared evenly, and 1 means all income is held by a single household.

Income is shared differently across Te Tai Tokerau. Kaipara District (40.2) has the most uneven spread of income, meaning there is a bigger gap between households earning the most and the least. Whangārei District has the most even spread (36.3), while Far North District (38.4) sits in between. Overall, Te Tai Tokerau reflects a mix of these patterns (38.3) and is notably higher than the national average (31.6) in the June 2024 year.

Research shows that higher Gini coefficients are associated with poorer social and health outcomes, reduced trust, and more limited opportunities for tamariki. This suggests that inequality is not just about income differences, but about how uneven access to resources shapes the conditions in which tamariki and whānau live, learn, and thrive.

“Their wellbeing is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of the collective and their upbringing is a shared responsibility” (William Kaipo[i])

There are differences in income inequality across ethnic groups in Te Tai Tokerau. The Māori Gini (33.5) is lower than the European Gini (39.8) indicating less disparity, though many households may still experience hardship. Lower inequality within Māori communities may reflect stronger social cohesion and extend whanau support.  By contrast the European Gini indicates significant differences between high- and low-incomes households. Even with a higher median income, there remain pockets of disadvantage that need addressing. This indicates that the region required a mixed strategy for interventions.

As Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson argue in The Spirit Level (2011), “How almost everything – from life expectancy to depression levels, violence to illiteracy – is affected not by how wealthy a society is, but how equal it is.”

Children in Benefit Households

There were 13,074 children living in households reliant on a government welfare benefit in the year to March 2024—an increase of 354 children (2.8%) compared with the year to March 2023. The previous peak was in the year to March 2013, when 13,509 children were living in a benefit-dependent household.

Living in a benefit-dependent household is a key driver of child poverty, and the current Government has set a target to reduce the number of children in these circumstances. At the same time, they tightened the eligibility criteria for hardship grants.

Although eligibility conditions tightened in 2024, the number of people in Te Tai Tokerau receiving Special Benefit (SB) or Temporary Additional Support (TAS) and the Accommodation Supplement (AS) in the year to March 2024 fell only slightly—by 0.8%. However, by the year to December 2024, the number of people receiving hardship grants had increased by 5.8% compared with the March 2024 year.

The most common reasons families sought assistance were for food and items classified in the ‘other’ category, while the highest-cost supports were for accommodation, as well as medical and related expenses.