People leaving prison in New Zealand are still receiving the same $350 government grant they received in 1991. In 2019, the government's own Welfare Expert Advisory Group told them it was not working and recommended they fix it. Six years later, nothing has changed. Around 9,400 people a year are still walking out with the same amount, into a rental market and cost of living that bears no resemblance to 1991.

Ministry of Social Development data shows recipients draw down 95 percent of the $350 maximum on average. More than half need an additional hardship grant within two months. Unlike main benefits, the grant is not indexed to inflation or wage growth. Any increase requires a decision by the Government of the day. None has been made.

What that looks like in practice: men standing at a bus stop outside the prison with a box of belongings, hitchhiking, or walking kilometres into town with nowhere to go. Pathway Trust staff say they see it at least once a week. For some men, there is no family to call. For others, the only people waiting are the ones who will take them straight back to the life they were trying to leave.

Pathway Trust Reintegration Navigator Matiu Brokenshire has seen what that gap looks like up close. "You need a face that says, life looks different. And I've got you. That anchor point. I think that's the difference," he says. "Without that, people are just standing outside the gate with a box."

New independent data suggests that when that support is present, outcomes change significantly. An evaluation of Pathway Trust's Navigate Initiative, conducted in October 2025 by Independent Research Solutions using Department of Corrections data, compared 82 men who completed the programme with 258 matched prisoners from Christchurch Men's Prison who did not. Within two years of release, Navigate participants were reimprisoned at a rate of 12.2%, compared to 20.7% in the control group. The resentencing rate was 20.7%, compared to 32.5%. The evaluation describes the direction as consistent and clear, while noting results will strengthen as the cohort grows.

"These numbers represent real people and real outcomes," said Murray Kennedy, CEO at Pathway Trust. "We are not a policy organisation. We are in the gap every day, doing the work that exists between what the system provides and what people actually need. This data shows that work is making a difference."

Pathway Trust continues to provide that wraparound support through the Navigate Initiative and its broader reintegration services. To find out more or to support the work, visit www.pathway.org.nz .

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