What Has Changed?

Assessing the Impact of Faith-Based Advocacy in Social Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand

The Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit (SPPU) of The Salvation Army in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory released the 18th State of the Nation report ‘Kai, Kainga, Whānau—The Basics Food, Homes and Family’ in February 2025, as the country finds itself in recession and international uncertainty. The first State of the Nation report in 2008 began by asserting that social progress has priority because it is about people. It was based on the key elements of priority to families and to the poor and addressing the widening gap between rich and poor. That focus has not changed in the following years.

‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice’ said Martin Luther King Jr and it makes sense to ask what change has come about over time, as The Salvation Army seeks to help bend the arc of history towards God’s kingdom of love and justice. How much can we understand progress towards justice at a national level through looking at changes in statistics that measure social outcomes? This study looks at two areas where significant social change has taken place—housing and problem gambling harm—and explores the role of The Salvation Army in contributing to that change.