Budget 2025: Help Families Whose Children Are Hungry
The Salvation Army Te Ope Whakaora urges the New Zealand Government to address the growing number of New Zealanders living in hardship, as the 2025 Budget is set to be released.
Rising unemployment and a cost-of-living crisis mean more than one-third of Kiwi households have insufficient or barely sufficient income to provide for their families, with nearly 22 percent of those with below-average incomes needing government assistance.
Statistics from The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report reflects the dire situation. Food insecurity is at its highest level in a decade. One in four children are going hungry, with food running out ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’. This statistic is even more alarming within Pacific families, where one in two children go hungry ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’.
The Government’s recent announcement of a $1 billion cut to the operating allowance raises concerns about the continuation of critical funding for community food assistance. Since 2020, the Ministry of Social Development’s Food Secure Communities programme has helped foodbanks and food rescue organisations meet increasing demand. However, over the past two years, funding for foodbanks has halved.
Funding cuts have seen food provision organisations closing their doors, turning away hungry people and families. Existing foodbanks are under added pressure, stretching resources thin as demand rises. Food support from The Salvation Army saw a 40 percent increase than pre-Covid levels, with around 84,500 food parcels distributed in 2024.
The Salvation Army and other organisations across Aotearoa are dedicated to creating a food-secure nation, however, this goal cannot be achieved alone. We urge Government to support and assist organisations in implementing proven strategies to help strengthen food security; for example, the long-term, multi-year funding investments in initiatives such as The Salvation Army’s Te Kai Mākona. This initiative aims to build food-secure communities in Aotearoa by strengthening food provision, broadening support forms and providing access to new food systems and wrap-around services. Our aim is to transition whānau from relying on foodbanks to achieving greater food security and self-sufficiency to end food insecurity in New Zealand.
The Salvation Army Territorial Media Officer, 021 945 337, email: media@salvationarmy.org.nz (The Media Officer responds to enquiries from media outlets and journalists. If you would like to donate, are in need of help, or have some other non-media-related enquiry, please call 0800 53 00 00.)