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November 30, 2025
Te pēke, te kāinga, te whānau — Living costs strain families across Aotearoa
Waatea Team
Posted On November 30, 2025
A warning has gone out that many families across New Zealand – including Māori and Pasifika whānau – are being pushed to breaking point as costs rise, health and housing pressures worsen, and support systems struggle to keep up.
For whānau Māori, these issues are felt not just as financial stress, but as challenges to tino rangatiratanga – to mana, dignity, and the ability to care for whānau as tikanga and whakapapa demand. When housing and health become fraught, so too does our ability to uphold the responsibilities of whānau, whanaungatanga, and intergenerational wellbeing.
Community leaders are urging families to lean on whānau, neighbours, hapū – calling on Māori values of kotahitanga (unity) and manaakitanga (care) to guide support networks: sharing kai, kaiwhakahaere kōrero, and helping each other navigate days ahead.
Meanwhile a new report on young people’s eating habits is shining a harsh light on the reality faced by many Māori whānau limited access to healthy kai and the rising cost of living are hitting rangatahi the hardest.
Researchers found that Māori teenagers are far more likely to miss out on nutritious food, often because their families are juggling high housing costs, transport issues, and limited food availability in their rohe.
Health advocates say the findings aren’t new but they are a reminder that decades of inequity, land loss, and poverty continue to shape daily life for many Māori communities. They’re calling for solutions that go beyond supermarket vouchers and focus instead on restoring Indigenous food systems, community gardens, and cultural food practices.
One researcher says strengthening traditional knowledge around growing and gathering kai could be a powerful tool for healthier, more independent Māori communities.
The report is expected to influence Government policy discussions heading into next year.
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