New Zealand’s most vulnerable people are at risk under the new National-led government. Advocacy groups warn that policy changes, like indexing benefits to inflation instead of wages, could push an extra 13,000 children into poverty. Proposed cuts to public services, including school lunches, free flu vaccines, and affordable housing, will worsen conditions for many families. Critics argue these policies increase inequality, benefiting the wealthy while harming low-income families, Māori, Pasifika, and disabled communities.
