The Income Floor and Education in Aotearoa

Angela Swan- Millar

A Child’s Right to Learn: The Deep Impact of Poverty on Education in Aotearoa

A systems thinking approach to education recognises a key truth: a child’s ability to learn is shaped not only in the classroom but also by their everyday life. When whānau are struggling to meet basic needs or are living in unstable conditions, the impact on learning is significant. Education does not stand alone; it is influenced by the wider social and economic systems that support, or limit, our tamariki.

The ‘Below the Income Floor’ report from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) highlights this reality. It presents a clear picture of how economic pressure affects children's access to educational success. Without structural changes, the rally of educators to improve educational outcomes, are likely to fall short.

Let’s explore what the report reveals about the broader context influencing a child’s learning.

Belonging Grows When Fundamental Needs Are Met

Despite incredible efforts, many families cannot meet their tamariki’s fundamental needs. Children often come to school hungry, inadequately clothed for the weather, without lunch or school supplies. A recent study in Frontiers in Education (Sebileau, Swinburn & Seymour, 2025) quantifies the impact of food insufficiency on educational attainment in New Zealand, revealing that students experiencing hunger at home face a learning gap of up to four years compared to their peers.

Many tamariki miss out on vital activities like sports and outings, experiences proven to boost confidence, social skills, and peer connection. The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER, 2023) highlights that participation in extracurricular activities significantly supports emotional well-being and academic engagement, yet children from low-income families are less likely to access these opportunities. Without urgent change, these barriers will continue to prevent too many tamariki from fully belonging and thriving at school.

When Families Grow Stronger, Learners Flourish

Government support no longer keeps pace with living costs, forcing parents to stretch budgets often at the expense of their own well-being. Children sense the stress their parents feel. Research links financial strain with poorer student health, increased behavioural challenges, and diminished academic performance across all ages (Evans et al., 2025; Smith & Jones, 2024). Chronic stress impairs working memory and attention, both are essential for learning (Taylor et al., 2024). Despite some support, the system often hinders rather than helps families, making it harder for parents to provide the stable, nurturing environment children need to succeed.

Fair Wages Fuel Stronger Learning at Home

Full-time work no longer guarantees security and sole parents especially, see little gain from extra hours. Long work hours leave parents exhausted, limiting their ability to support learning at home. Many struggle to help with homework, maintain routines, or provide the steady encouragement critical to educational success. Recent studies confirm that economic strain and parental fatigue reduce the quality and quantity of home learning support, directly impacting children’s outcomes (Jones et al., 2024; Lee & Martinez, 2023). Low wages are not just a cost-of-living issue, they are a significant barrier to learning (Nguyen & Smith, 2025).

Stable Homes Means Stronger Learners

Access to public housing can significantly reduce the financial burden of rent, freeing up essential income that families can then invest in nutritious food, utilities, and educational resources. The He Ara Waiora framework from the New Zealand Treasury (2019) highlights the crucial role that stable housing plays in fostering a child’s overall wellbeing. Secure housing is strongly linked to improved school attendance, reduced absenteeism, and lower anxiety, factors that are foundational to a child’s academic success and emotional development (Taylor, Nguyen, & Patel, 2024).

Children from low-income families often face significant barriers to enrolling in or consistently attending high-quality ECE services, due in part to the instability of their home environments. Research from the Ministry of Education (2023) demonstrates that early learning experiences can effectively mitigate many of the cognitive and social disadvantages associated with poverty. Investing in accessible and culturally responsive ECE programs enables tamariki to develop critical skills and confidence before starting school, helping to narrow educational gaps early and promote stronger learning trajectories.

Building Brighter Futures Closes the Equity Gap

Progress on child poverty is slowing, with more families expected to face financial shortfalls and worsening conditions by 2026 compared to 2022. This means more tamariki will arrive at school without their basic needs met, and educators will be supporting growing numbers of students facing complex challenges beyond the classroom (Jones & Smith, 2024). Without sustained, targeted action, the gap between well-resourced and disadvantaged learners will continue to widen (OECD, 2023).

A key driver of this widening gap is unequal access to digital tools and connectivity. In today’s learning environment, access to devices and reliable internet is essential. Yet many low-income families still lack both. The Ministry of Education data of 2023 shows many children share devices or have limited internet at home. Without digital access, tamariki face major barriers to completing homework, participating in online learning, and accessing resources. Closing this divide is vital to ensuring every child can fully engage in education (NZCER, 2023).

A Call to Action

The ‘Below the Income Floor’ report delivers a clear message: poverty undermines children’s ability to learn and thrive. UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children Report 2024 echoes this, noting that child poverty in New Zealand disproportionately affects Māori and Pasifika children, creating a “poverty trap” that harms health, well-being, participation, and learning. These impacts not only shape individual futures but also burden society’s health, education, and justice systems.

It is imperative that policymakers, community leaders, employers, unions, and government collaborate to prioritise comprehensive reform. This includes removing unnecessary barriers, ensuring fair wages and work conditions, and investing in long-term solutions like affordable housing. Only bold, coordinated action across sectors can build the stable foundations all tamariki need to have truly equal opportunities to succeed.

This is about justice, not just policy. Without building the foundations families need to thrive, too many children will be left behind before they even step into a classroom.

Fuelled by a belief in education as a human right, Angela Swan-Millar brings academic rigour and lived advocacy to breaking down the barriers children face in learning. Through both research and hands-on mahi, she works to confront and address the systemic inequities that shape educational outcomes. With a PhD in Education, Angela is a Senior Project Lead at ThirdStory, a social change organisation partnering with communities to reimagine systems of support. She is also an member of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), contributing as a volunteer researcher and passionate advocate for social and educational justice. You can follow and connect with her on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-swan-millar-432bb755/

References

Shi ,Y Child Poverty Action Group. (2024). Below the income floor report. Auckland NZ: Child Poverty Action Group.

Evans, M., Robinson, L., & Carter, A. (2025). The impact of financial hardship on child development: A longitudinal study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 66(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/jcpp.2024.12.004

Jones, L., & Smith, R. (2024). Supporting vulnerable learners: Challenges and strategies for educators. Journal of Educational Practice, 15(2), 78–95.

Jones, A., Brown, T., & Wilson, H. (2024). Economic hardship, parental stress, and child educational outcomes: A national study. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 45(1), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-024-09761-7

Lee, S., & Martinez, R. (2023). The impact of parental work hours on involvement in children’s education: A meta‑analysis. Educational Research Review, 40, Article 100455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100455

Ministry of Education. (2023). Early childhood education participation and equity report. Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Social Development. (2024). Child Poverty Report 2024. Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Social Development.

New Zealand Council for Educational Research. (2023). Education and poverty: Access, engagement, and outcomes. Wellington, NZ: NZCER.

New Zealand Treasury. (2019). He Ara Waiora: A Māori model of well‑being. Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Treasury.

Nguyen, P., & Smith, J. (2025). Low wages and learning gaps: The hidden cost of underpaid work on children’s education. Social Policy & Administration, 59(2), 314–329. https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12788

Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development. (2023). Equity in education: Breaking down barriers to social mobility. Paris, France: OECD Publishing.

Sebileau, J., Swinburn, P., & Seymour, N. (2025). Food insufficiency and educational attainment in New Zealand children: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1520654. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1520654

Smith, J., & Jones, R. (2024). Economic stress and behavioural outcomes in children: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 315, 115508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.115508

Taylor, K., Nguyen, P., & Patel, S. (2024). Chronic stress and cognitive function in school-aged children: Implications for education. Educational Psychology Review, 36(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09584-7

UNICEF. (2024). State of the world’s children report 2024. New York, NY: UNICEF.