IHC’s report on hardship is a call for united action

There’s been very little evidence about the living standards of people with intellectual disabilities in New Zealand in the past, which is why the IHC has crunched the data available to us and presented it in their latest report, The Cost of Exclusion. 

Previous research commissioned by the IHC (From Data to Dignity) found that New Zealanders with an intellectual disability (ID) were much more likely to experience poor wellbeing outcomes in a range of areas. 

Just like the previous research, this new research draws from four years of the Household Economic Survey, but focuses on how people with ID and their families are doing, relative to their non-intellectually disabled counterparts. They also interviewed families to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. Here’s what the report found:

Key findings

• 18.8% of people with ID live in hardship, while 7.8% of people without ID live in hardship.
• 7.7% of people with ID live in severe hardship vs 3.1% of people without ID.
  Compared to people without, people with ID are twice as likely to be unable to pay an unavoidable bill without borrowing, 4 times less likely to afford regular nutritious meals, 3 times less likely to have proper footwear and special occasion clothing, and 7 times more likely to live in social housing over the life course.
• For people without ID, hardship eases with age, but the hardship doesn’t change for people with ID.
• Adults 40-64 years with ID are 3 times more likely to be in severe hardship than people without. They’re also 8 times more likely to live with their parents.
• Children with ID are half as likely to get fresh fruit and vegetables, 6.5 times more likely to miss out on school trips, 3 times more likely to lack appropriate clothing, and twice as likely to not have a computer or access to the internet.
• Some families are forced to make sacrifices by quitting jobs, moving homes and cities just to meet basic needs.

So what does it actually mean to live in hardship? The research used The Deprivation 17 Index which lists 17 essentials that most people consider necessary for a basic standard of living. Those who cannot get 6 or more things from the list are living in hardship, and those who can’t get 9 or more things are living in severe hardship. 

Some of these factors could look like living in damp, cold rental accommodation with a futile outlook on home ownership, cutting back on fresh food due to cost, not being able to pay an unexpected bill of $500 within a month without borrowing, and not being able to eat meat at least every second day due to cost.

According to the IHC chief executive, this isn’t just a policy failure, but a human rights violation. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) says all disabled people have economic rights: to an adequate standard of living, social protection, and equal access to work and financial security. 

National chairperson of People First New Zealand, Michael Aldridge, says it’s sad to read that in 2025, people with a learning disability still don’t have things like enough money, food or a good house to live in. 

“Many adults with learning disabilities do not have paid work and live their whole lives on a benefit”, says Aldridge. “I would like to see people with learning disability getting enough money to live on. That would mean people with learning disability would be able to have the things they need to keep healthy and well, and be able to afford a warm house, enough food and clothes, and be able to pay their bills and do things in their community.”

He says many things in the report are the same things People First have been speaking up about for a long time. He adds that the wider disability community has a role to advocate for the issues impacting people with learning disabilities. 

Although it’s not new information to Aldridge, it’s important to him that reports like this one are published as a tool to assist in the advocacy of these issues. “They also inform the policy makers and other people about our lives,” he says. “I hope reports like this will bring about change to make the lives of people with learning disability better.” 

Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga Disability Rights Commissioner, Prudence Walker, echoes the sentiment that this report is the data for what has been known for many years: “This new report is evidence that we have failed to make meaningful systemic progress, to uphold people’s rights of non-discrimination, equitable participation and a good standard of living.”

Walker urges this data must now be used to improve people’s lives. 

The report acts as a call to action, and calls on these recommendations:

• Increased benefits and employment support
• Coordinated support services for people with ID and their families and whānau 
• Early diagnosis and intervention
• Affordable rent and stable housing

Walker says: “There are many concrete actions that could be taken to address the barriers and hardships identified. Structural changes to financial systems to address the costs of disability, including lost opportunities, should be explored.

“In the immediate term, raising the Disability and Child Disability allowances and expanding the range of costs that can be included could make a difference.”

Walker says material hardship denies people opportunities to join in, to learn and to participate. “As a consequence, we all miss out on what people have to contribute.”

However, poverty can also be a matter of life and death, she says. “Poverty can prevent people from escaping violence and harm, as does the lack of accessible alternatives. 

“When you do not have enough for the daily necessities, you cannot make preparation for emergencies with back up supplies and extras, which leaves people more exposed in times of risk and emergency.”

While Walker says the responsibility of advocacy shouldn’t fall on disabled people, there’s an opportunity to “settle on one or two things to make the most noise about as a starting point.” 

She says: “with unity, clarity and repetition, the need for action will be strong and clear.”

The term learning disability is preferred by some people. This article uses the term ‘intellectual disability’ to be consistent with the language of IHC's report. 

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