State of the nation 2026. Foundations of wellbeing – Poipoia te kākano

Extract:

Introduction

The Salvation Army, Te Ope Whakaora, the Army that brings life, is working every day with communities, whānau and individuals right around the country. In this report, the wellbeing of our nation is assessed by looking at outcomes that impact people and communities. We look at measures across the following areas: Children and Youth, Work and Incomes, Housing, Crime and Punishment, Social Hazards and Māori Wellbeing through Te Ora o Te Whānau.

The aim of this report is to focus on trends and outcomes at a national level to see what they can tell us about the overall state of our nation at the beginning of 2026. The statistics and data are mostly drawn from publicly available sources, and we aim to use the most recently available indicators for the year to 31 December 2025.

The indicators in each section are grouped into themes, and an assessment is made as to whether there is overall improvement (+), no change (NC) or deterioration (–). NA indicates where data is unavailable.

These assessments are intended to promote debate and discussion about our progress towards greater wellbeing. ...

Key Findings 

• Child poverty and material hardship are rising, with tamariki Māori and Pacific children continuing to experience disproportionately high rates of hardship.
• Unemployment has increased and cost-of-living pressures remain high, leaving more households unable to meet essential needs.
• Housing instability remains a major barrier, with unaffordable rents and rising homelessness disrupting education, employment, wellbeing, and whakapapa connections.
• Violent crime has decreased but family violence continues to increase, reaching its highest level since 2018 despite a tougher criminal justice approach.
• Youth offending and overall alcohol use have decreased, showing the positive impact of community-led and preventative work.
• Overall illicit‑drug use declined this year, with fewer people reporting cannabis and amphetamine‑type drug use. However, methamphetamine and cocaine consumption is far higher than three years ago, indicating shifting and increasingly harmful drug‑use patterns.

The report this year includes analysis based on the Māori wellbeing framework that looks at:

• Kawa (intrinsic quality of life and identity)
• Tikanga (structural and societal conditions)
• Āhuatanga (observable outcomes)
• Ritenga (behavioural responses within constraints)

This analysis shows that structural settings continue to produce inequitable outcomes, with Māori still overrepresented in state care, poorer health indicators, and disproportionately high imprisonment and reimprisonment rates. 

Encouragingly, kaupapa Māori approaches are delivering strong results:

• Māori hazardous drinking has fallen significantly over the past five years.
• Rangatahi learning predominantly in te reo Māori are achieving NCEA at similar rates to non-Māori.
• Whānau who receive holistic, identity-strengthening support experience measurable improvements. 

See also

Summary

Salvation Army

February 2026