Insights
TheTairāwhiti Wellbeing Survey is led annually by Trust Tairāwhiti to capture the perspectives and experiences of our local communities.
Tairāwhiti Wellbeing Survey data insights can be used to support communities and organisations to better understand what the wellbeing of our region looks like.
A total of 3,897 weighted survey responses have been collected between 2022-2025, which were then benchmarked against the Trust’s wellbeing framework, He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora.
On this page:
Regional wellbeing
Four years of evidence
Four years of Tairāwhiti Wellbeing Survey (TWS) data show that people’s day-to-day lives are improving. Locals are feeling more resilient, homes are safer, perception of health is improving, and our communities are more connected.
Despite this, confidence in the future is declining. People are feeling less optimistic about economic opportunities, job and training pathways, and whether Tairāwhiti is an attractive place for young people to live and work. Pride in the region and confidence in Māori culture and identity flourishing here have also declined.
Ngā muka
Six aspirational wellbeing outcomes
The Trust Tairāwhiti wellbeing framework, He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora, is built around six muka that represent aspirational wellbeing outcomes for Tairāwhiti.
Woven together, these muka reflect a holistic and enduring vision for regional wellbeing. Each indicator in He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora maps to one of these outcomes.
Improving
Our communities are feeling safer and have greater life satisfaction than at any point since the TWS began in 2022. Life satisfaction, neighbourhood safety and family wellbeing have all substantially improved.
Declining
Those in work are more satisfied with their jobs, but people’s confidence in finding new work, accessing training, or building a career in Tairāwhiti has dropped significantly. Business confidence and perceptions of Tairāwhiti as a good place for young people are both declining.
Improving
Levels of loneliness are declining, and more people report having someone to stay with or talk to in a crisis. Trust in others remains relatively low but stable. Social connection is slowly strengthening.
Improving
The 2023 cyclones hit environmental perceptions hard, but our community's sense of environmental health has started to recover, with native bush and coastal water confidence rising above 2022 levels. Freshwater remains the greatest concern in Tairāwhiti.
Declining
This muka has some of the sharpest declines throughout the survey. Future expectations around familiarity with Māori culture have fallen by 14%. Pride in Tairāwhiti is down 11%. Perceptions about the importance of Māori culture has dropped 9%.
Declining
Belief in training and career opportunities has fallen by more than 11%. Perceptions of digital and technology opportunities available in Tairāwhiti have dropped 7%.
What’s going well
Top 10 improving indicators
2022 - 2025
Tairāwhiti locals feel safer, healthier and better supported since 2022. These improvements are widespread, appearing across gender, age groups and localities.
Safety is the strongest gain
Safe at home at night
% who feel safe or very safe at home alone after dark
Safe walking in the neighbourhood at night
% who feel safe or very safe walking locally after dark
Social resilience is rising
Place to stay in an emergency
% who say it would be easy or very easy to find somewhere to stay
Loneliness – rarely or never lonely
% who feel lonely none or a little of the time
Quality of life is improving
Life satisfaction
% scoring 7 or above out of 10
General health
% rating their health as good, very good, or excellent
Home suits household needs
% who agree their home suits their household’s needs
Financial stability
Job satisfaction
% who are satisfied or very satisfied with their current job
Bills paid on time
% who always pay bills on time
Health of native environment
Native bush and forests – health rating
% rating native bush/forest health as 7 or above out of 10
What needs attention
Bottom 10 declining indicators
2022 - 2025
These are the areas where our people are losing confidence. The declines cluster around perceptions of the region’s future, economic opportunity, cultural identity, and regional attractiveness.
Regional perception decline
Tairāwhiti is a great place to live
% who agree Tairāwhiti is a great place to live
Pride in Tairāwhiti
% who agree they are proud of living in Tairāwhiti
Shifting views on Māori culture
Optimism about the future of Māori culture
% who agree Māori culture and identity will flourish in Tairāwhiti
Importance of engagement with Māori culture
% rating engagement with Māori culture as very or quite important
Economic concerns
Diverse employment options
% who agree there are diverse employment opportunities here
Confidence finding a job
% who agree they could find a job if they needed one
Training and career opportunities
% who agree training and career pathways are available here
Tairāwhiti is good for business
% who agree Tairāwhiti is a good place to do business
Buy local intention
% who try to buy locally as much as possible
Rangatahi outlook
Tairāwhiti attractive for young people
% who agree Tairāwhiti is attractive for young people to live and work
Where wellbeing is low and remains low
Stable but low indicators - Economy | Ōhanga
2022 - 2025
From 2022 to 2025, confidence in the future economy of Tairāwhiti started low and remained low across all four survey years. In 2022, about one in five felt positive about the future of rural communities, housing, or the region’s economic resilience, while perceptions of Gisborne’s city centre were even lower, with only around one in ten people agreeing it was thriving. These indicators held at similar levels through to 2025, suggesting long-standing concerns about economic growth, investment and future opportunities in the region, rather than short-term fluctuations in confidence.
2022–2025 Economic indicators - persistent low confidence
Low starting point
Confidence began low in 2022, with about one in five feeling positive about key future economy indicators.
Little movement
Across all four years, these indicators remained relatively flat, showing persistent concerns rather than short-term change.
City centre concern
Perceptions of Gisborne’s city centre remain especially low, with only 8.1% agreeing it was thriving in 2025.
Recovery after disruption
Taiao | Environmental perceptions
The environmental story in Tairāwhiti is one of disruption, recovery, and ongoing caution. Confidence across many environmental indicators dropped following Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, before improving again through 2024 and 2025. Freshwater perceptions saw the strongest recovery, with confidence in the health of rivers and lakes rising from 13% in 2023 to 37% in 2025. Similar improvements are visible across land and soils, biodiversity, and coastal waters. However, the data also shows environmental confidence was already relatively low before the cyclone. Despite visible signs of recovery, long-term optimism remains cautious, with only 23% of respondents believing the natural environment will be healthier in five years’ time.
2022–2025 Environmental perceptions
Low starting point
Even before the cyclone, most environmental measures sat below 40%, showing concern was already present.
Visible recovery
Rivers and lakes show the strongest rebound, rising from 13% in 2023 to 37% in 2025.
Cautious future view
Only 23% believe the natural environment will be healthier in five years, despite recent improvements.
Tairāwhiti rangatahi
Future outlook
The wellbeing data for rangatahi aged 15–24 highlights a growing gap between young people and the wider Tairāwhiti population across several social wellbeing measures. In 2025, rangatahi were significantly less likely to report trust in others, feel that Tairāwhiti is a great place to live, or say they were free from loneliness. The largest gaps were in trust in others and perceptions of Tairāwhiti as a great place to live, both of which declined further between 2022 and 2025. Trust in others declined for rangatahi from 33% in 2022 to 26% (-7%) in 2025, while perceptions of Tairāwhiti as a great place to live dropped from 63% to 38% (-25%) over the same period.
At the same time, rangatahi reported stronger perceptions of environmental wellbeing than the rest of the region across coastal health, land quality, waterways, and biodiversity. These positive Taiao perceptions followed the same improving trend seen across the wider population between 2022 and 2025. Together, the findings suggest rangatahi feel more positively about the natural environment in Tairāwhiti than older residents, while continuing to experience lower levels of social connection and belonging.
Difference between the rest of Tairāwhiti and rangatahi aged 15 to 24
Percentage difference in 2025 responses. A positive gap means rangatahi scored higher than the rest of the region. A negative gap means rangatahi scored lower.
Largest gaps
Rangatahi are furthest behind the rest of the region for trust in others, Tairāwhiti as a great place to live, and the importance of engagement with Māori culture.
Social connection
Trust, loneliness and locus of control are all lower for rangatahi than the rest of the region, pointing to pressure on social wellbeing.
Taiao strengths
Rangatahi report stronger positive perceptions across coastal health, land quality, waterways and biodiversity quantity.
Note: Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
Let’s talk
We can help you understand what the data means for your work and how to use it.