205 organisations throughout the country responded to Grant Thornton’s online survey in April/May 2026, a third from the social services sector.
Five key themes:
 Demand is increasing but funding isn’t keeping pace.
 Service performance reporting is yet to deliver to its full potential/value.
 Fraud and cybersecurity remain underestimated.
 Governance capability is becoming harder to sustain.
 Technology is an important resilience tool.

The $25.8 billion sector hiding in plain sight – New Zealand’s for-purpose ecosystem employs one in 13 workers and contributes as much to GDP as financial and insurance services. New Zealand’s for-purpose sector contributes an estimated $25.8 billion to the economy when volunteer labour is included.