Meeting the future needs of older Pacific New Zealanders — Supplementary Long-Term Insights Briefing paper
Ministry of Social Development
Official data
Official primary
2026-10-09
Next review not yet scheduled
New Zealand
High confidence
verified
SNZ editorial review
Evidence boundary: Supplementary mixed-year evidence, not a new prevalence survey, final policy or current benefit/service guidance. 2018-base projections, DEP-17 hardship and 2023 linked-data indicators measure different things. Exact original publication month/day unverified. Evidence gaps must not be filled with general-population estimates.
Short Answer
This publicly hosted supplementary paper supports MSD’s 2025 Long-Term Insights Briefing with evidence about older Pacific New Zealanders.
Key Points
- •The 15-page paper is publicly linked by MSD as supplementary evidence for its 2025 older-person LTIB; its precise first publication month/day was not established.
- •It projects the Pacific population aged 65+ from approximately 32,000 in 2025 to 68,700 in 2043 using 2018-base ethnic projections; these are scenario estimates, not observed 2026 counts (p.2).
- •Elders’ roles in language, culture, faith, family reciprocity and unpaid care are central to the analysis; experiences and needs differ across Pacific communities (pp.3–5).
- •The paper reports 14% material hardship among older Pacific people versus 3% among older people overall, citing Perry 2025. These historical DEP-17 results are separate from linked-data indicators (p.6).
- •Its updated 2023 linked-data analysis reports 30% of Pacific older people with two or more vulnerability indicators across five domains; that does not mean 30% clinically assessed as needing care (p.6).
- •The cited 2023 Household Disability Survey reports disability among 43% of Pacific people aged 65+ versus 35% of all people aged 65+; household-survey scope and sampling apply (p.10).
Full Summary & Notes
This publicly hosted supplementary paper supports MSD’s 2025 Long-Term Insights Briefing with evidence about older Pacific New Zealanders. It explores projected population growth, elders’ cultural and family roles, material hardship, housing, disability, social support and culturally responsive services. Pacific populations are diverse; the paper does not justify treating all groups or households alike. It draws on mixed-year projections, survey findings and linked administrative-data indicators rather than a new nationally representative survey. Its projection uses a 2018 base, while hardship and linked-data measures have different definitions. The paper also identifies important gaps in Pacific-older-person-specific social-support and elder-abuse evidence. The catalogue retains 2025 because an exact original publication month or day was not verified.
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