Budget 2025: What it means for disabled New Zealanders
The Government’s 2025 Budget brings both promise and disappointment for the disability community. While significant investment in education support is a welcome step forward, the lack of meaningful funding for community-based disability services leaves many families behind. At CCS Disability Action, we’ve analysed the Budget through the lens of equity, inclusion, and lived experience — and we’re calling for more than numbers. We’re calling for real change.
A step forward for disabled learners – but more work ahead
The Government’s 2025 Budget includes a large investment in learning support — and it’s a welcome step. But for disabled children and their families, this must be the beginning of real change, not the end.
At CCS Disability Action, we’ve long called for better support for disabled tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) in education. For too long, families have faced long waitlists, inconsistent services, and a system that simply hasn’t met their needs.
What’s in the budget?
The Government has announced:
$646 million for learning support — help for children who need extra support to learn and participate in school.
$266 million to expand Early Intervention Services — support for young children (from early childhood through to Year 1) who need help with things like speech, behaviour, or development.
560+ new specialists to be hired to deliver this early support.
900,000 more teacher aide hours each year by 2028 — teacher aides help children with learning, communication, and physical needs in the classroom.
$122 million to improve the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) — a programme that provides long-term support for students with the highest needs.
A plan to make sure every child verified for ORS gets the support they need.
Why this matters
This funding could make a real difference for thousands of disabled children and their whānau (families). It means:
More children getting help earlier — when it can make the biggest difference.
More support in classrooms, so teachers aren’t stretched too thin.
A better chance for every child to learn, grow, and thrive alongside their peers.
But there are still big challenges
While this is a strong start, we need to be honest: the system is under immense pressure and there is significant unmet need at present. Here’s what we’re watching closely:
Workforce shortages: Hiring new specialists is great — but where will they come from? We need a plan to train and keep these workers.
Equity: Will this funding reach rural communities, Māori and Pacific learners, and those with complex needs?
Our message to Government
“We welcome this investment — but we’ve been here before. Real change will take more than money. It will take partnership with disabled people, long-term commitment, and a system that puts inclusion at its heart.” Mel Smith, Chief Executive.
What’s next?
We’ll be watching closely as this funding rolls out. We’ll keep advocating for:
Co-design with disabled people and whānau.
A truly inclusive education system — from early childhood to young adulthood.
Disability Support Services — A missed opportunity
At CCS Disability Action we believe every person has the right to live a good life — one of dignity, choice, and connection. We've taken a close look at the Government's Vote Disability Support Services (DSS).
Despite high hopes, Budget 2025 falls short for community-based disability support.
What the budget says
The Government has announced a modest $250 million per annum increase to the DSS budget — a figure that is unlikely to meet actual need, increasing demands for support, cost and workforce pressures. This includes $60 million per annum allocated to residential care. This funding is set against the context of a damaging funding freeze, an extended period of time where disabled people with the highest needs in the country, were not met.
Meanwhile, non-residential and community-based support — the very supports that enable people to live in their own homes and communities — have received no new targeted funding.
What this means in practice
Flat funding in real terms: Providers are expected to do more with the same resources, despite rising costs.
No new investment in community support: Families and people who rely support are left behind.
No pay equity funding: The workforce that supports disabled people continues to be impacted by funding levels.
Our message to Government
This budget does not reflect the aspirations of disabled people or the principles of Enabling Good Lives. It does not support inclusion. It does not empower families. And it does not invest in the future.
"This budget does not meet disabled people and families where they are at. It keeps essential supports out of reach and continues a pattern of underinvestment that leaves too many behind. Our community deserves more than survival — they deserve dignity, choice, and inclusion,” says Mel Smith Chief Executive, CCS Disability Action.
We urge the Government to:
Increase base funding for community-based disability support.
Invest in the workforce delivering this support.
Remove restrictions that limit choice and control for disabled people and their families so that they are able to make the best of what they are able to access.
Our commitment
At CCS Disability Action, we will continue to advocate for a system that truly supports people to live good lives — in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.
Because inclusion isn’t optional. It’s a right.
Social Development budget
The Government’s 2025 Social Development Budget includes headline figures for disability support — $760 million for Disability Support Services and $511 million for disability-related financial assistance. But beyond the numbers, the picture is more complex — and more concerning.
Disability Allowance and Child Disability Allowance
These essential supports have seen only modest increases — around 2.4% — unlikely to keep pace with inflation or rising care costs. We’ve called for these changes for decades to lift disabled children and people out of poverty. There’s no new eligibility criteria, no simplified access, and no targeted outreach to underserved communities. Many families must still navigate a complex system that may not reflect their real needs.
Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People
Whaikaha receives $20.4 million to continue its system stewardship role. While this supports policy and community engagement, it’s not enough to drive the transformative change disabled people were promised. Community development funding remains static, with no clear integration into broader welfare or social investment reforms.
Social Investment Fund — the jury is out
The new $275 million Social Investment Fund is partially funded through reprioritised spending — but it’s unclear whether disabled people will benefit. Without transparency or targeted streams, there’s a real risk this fund will bypass the very communities it claims to support.
Young disabled people left behind
Most worrying is the move to means-test Jobseeker Support for 18- and 19-year-olds based on parents’ income. This could deny financial independence to young disabled people unable to work or study full-time. It assumes family support where it may not exist and undermines the right to live independently.
At CCS Disability Action, we believe disabled people and their families deserve more than marginal increases and vague promises.
“This Budget risks leaving disabled people behind. While the numbers may look promising on the surface, they don’t reflect the lived reality of families navigating complex systems with limited support. We need investment that is transparent, targeted, and co-designed with the disability community,” says Mel Smith, Chief Executive, CCS Disability Action.
We call on the Government to:
Exempt disabled youth from parental income testing.
Increase and index disability allowances to real costs.
Ensure the Social Investment Fund includes a disability-specific stream.
Let’s build a system that reflects the lived realities of disabled people — one that is inclusive, transparent, and grounded in equity.