The Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report

It’s the systems we need to fix, not our people - Charm Skinner speaks to Tracey Cooper

For 19 years, the Salvation Army has presented its State of the Nation report, assessing the country’s wellbeing by looking at outcomes across five key areas: children and youth, work and incomes, housing, crime and punishment, and social hazards.

The report is intended to promote discussion about our progress towards wellbeing for everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It’s important to understand that every piece of data reported across those five areas represents a key foundation for what sets whānau up to truly thrive and flourish.

So, when children and young people are thriving, when people have jobs that pay a living wage, when welfare systems provide adequate support, when there’s healthy kai on the table and a stable home, and when communities are protected from social hazards, we have a sound basis for community and whānau wellbeing.

The report has, for some years, included a section focusing specifically on how the statistics relate to Māori — but this year, for the first time, the report includes an assessment of Māori wellbeing using a te ao Māori framework, Te Whānau o te Ora.

You can read the full 2026 State of the Nation report here.