Progress in the last financial year
Child poverty statistics for the most recently completed financial year, 2023/24, were released by the Government Statistician in February 2025.[2] The statistics are calculated from survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. This uncertainty is important when looking at year-on-year changes. None of the reported increases in child poverty rates between 2022/23 and 2023/24, as set out below, are statistically significant.
| Primary measure | 2017/18 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | Change between 2022/23 and 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material hardship | 13.3% | 12.5% | 13.4% | 0.9 percentage point increase* |
| AHC50 | 22.8% | 17.7% | 17.7% | no change |
| BHC50 | 16.5% | 12.2% | 12.7% | 0.5 percentage point increase* |
* not statistically significant
The intermediate targets for 2023/24 were not met, reflecting – at least in part – the impact of high inflation at that time on the cost of living.
Notes
- [2]More information on the child poverty statistics for the year ended June 2024 can be found on the Stats NZ website: www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/child-poverty-statistics-year-ended-june-2024/.