Budget 2026 trims Whaikaha funding; Child Disability Allowance headline masks no rate rise

Budget 2026 cuts $1.46 million from Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People, according to CCS Disability Action. The group says a $21.3 million Budget figure for the Child Disability Allowance does not lift the rates or entitlements families get. This comes as an MSD report shows 210,600 children now live below the poverty line.