Poverty

Poverty in Aotearoa is not just about survival—it’s about whether people have enough resources to live with dignity and participate in society.
Aotearoa often measures poverty as a proportion of the median household income.
A common threshold is 60% of the median income (after housing costs).
This approach recognises something crucial: the goalposts shift. What it costs to participate in society changes over time — housing, transport, internet, school costs.
Poverty is relational: it’s about exclusion from normal life, not just empty cupboards.
Visual idea: A moving line labelled “median income” with the poverty threshold moving alongside it.