29/05/2026
A day on from Budget 2026, we have read every line of the Estimates that matter to disabled people and whānau hauā so you don't have to. There is good news in here. There is news that needs more answers. And there is news that should worry all of us.
Here is what disabled New Zealanders need to know.
👍 The good news first:
Investment into Oranga Tamariki is genuinely welcome. Disabled tamariki are disproportionately affected by abuse and neglect, and we want to see real progress here.
We also welcome the $87.5 million lift for Teacher Aides and Learning Support in kura. This kind of in-classroom support changes disabled students' school days.
Funding for 1,800 to 2,250 new social houses and a $69 million increase to the Flexible Housing Fund is, on its face, a good thing.
❓ The news that needs more answers:
The Teacher Aide lift appears to come alongside a $120.8 million reduction to Specialist Support – the specialist funding, advisors and behaviour support that disabled students also rely on. We are seeking clarification.
The $21.3 million headline for Child Disability Allowance does not actually increase the rates or entitlements families receive. That matters, because raising the Child Disability Allowance is the single quickest lever the Government has to lift disabled tamariki out of poverty – and disabled tamariki are exactly where poverty disproportionately sits. 26.9% of disabled children are in material hardship, more than double the rate for non-disabled children. A headline that does not move the rate is a headline that does not move the dial.
The social housing investment is harder to celebrate once you notice that accessibility targets have been removed and rents have been raised. More houses do not automatically mean more disabled people in homes that work for them.
👎 The news we cannot leave unsaid:
The $376 million "increase" to Disability Support Services is largely a $176 million underspend being handed back. Money disabled people and families were cut off from last year. Future budgets project the funding going down, not up.
The Disability Allowance is being cut by $5.96 million in the year ahead, and further every year out to 2030. At a time of rising costs and rising hardship, that decision needs a public explanation.
Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People has been cut by $1.46 million, justified by artificial intelligence picking up the slack. A smaller disabled voice in Government, at the moment that voice is most needed.
And one more change worth knowing about: a new $100,000 cap on donations eligible for a tax credit is likely to reduce large gifts to charities. When government funding falls short, not-for-profits like ours are the ones standing in the gap. This change makes that harder.
In the words of our Chief Executive Mel Smith: a country that narrows the lives of one in five of its people is a smaller country for all of us. We can choose differently.
📢 Three things we are asking the Government to do:
1. Lift the Disability Allowance and Child Disability Allowance rates in line with the actual cost of being disabled.
2. Rebalance Disability Support Services settings toward flexible, community-based supports.
3. Reverse the cut to Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People and resource it to do its job.
Swipe through the carousel for the full breakdown, or head to the analysis linked in the comments. Which of these stood out most to you? Let us know in the comments, and share if you agree.
