Understanding Autism in Aotearoa New Zealand

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a fundamental part of how thousands of New Zealanders experience and navigate the world. In Aotearoa New Zealand, around 159,000 people, or 3% of the population, are diagnosed with ASD (NZ Health Survey, 2024).

Altogether Autism New Zealand (2022) defines ASD as “a brain difference that is fundamental to who a person is. It affects the way a person develops in childhood, the way that they think, and the way they live their life.” People with autism may experience differences from people without autism in areas such as communication, socialisation, sensory processing, and information processing. In New Zealand, autism is recognised as a disability.

Particularly in a society that often feels primarily designed for neurotypical individuals, people with autism need appropriate support to have their unique needs met and to thrive. This includes support in areas such as education, employment, and daily life.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, public support is available for individuals with autism through the coordination of various government bodies, including Whaikaha (Ministry of Disabled People), the Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora (New Zealand’s integrated district health boards), the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Social Development. ASD is one of the largest disability groups receiving government-funded support in New Zealand, accounting for 37.5% of disability service recipients.

So, people with autism get the support they need — simple, right? 

In practice, accessing supports can be much more complicated, particularly when individuals with autism also experience mental health issues (van der Meer et al., 2023).

The Hidden Complexity: Co-occurring Mental Health Conditions

Many autistic individuals have co-occurring mental health conditions. Research by Hollocks et al. (2019) suggests that a significant proportion of autistic individuals are likely to experience anxiety or depression during their lifetime, with approximately 42% developing an anxiety disorder and 37% being diagnosed with depression. Additionally, research by Bowden et al. (2020) showed that over 68% of children and young people with ASD in New Zealand experience co-occurring mental health or related challenges. 

In New Zealand, disability-related and mental health supports operate largely independently of each other. Disability-related needs are primarily addressed by Disability Support Services (DSS), overseen by the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Disabled People. Mental health services fall under Te Whatu Ora (New Zealand’s integrated district health boards). As a result, individuals who need both types of support may encounter challenges when navigating between systems that have entirely separate structures, processes, and eligibility criteria.

These issues are suggested in Van der Meer’s (2023) report on the experiences of receiving autism support in New Zealand. The study shared feedback from individuals and families who reported:

• “being denied access to disability services because they were concurrently accessing mental health supports.”
• “limited coordination between services, with agencies often appearing to work against rather than alongside each other. Examples included poor coordination between mental health and disability services…”

While these accounts may not reflect the experiences of everyone, they point to a potential area of concern—especially given the number of individuals who experience both disability- and mental health-related needs. Given the high prevalence of co-occurring needs in the autistic community, this could be an important area for further exploration. 

At present, there appears to be limited research focused specifically on how autistic people with co-occurring mental health conditions navigate support systems in New Zealand. Without greater understanding, it may be difficult to identify where service gaps exist or how they can be addressed.

Continuing to identify and respond to areas where the system will help ensure that all individuals in Aotearoa New Zealand can access the support they need to thrive.

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.”

“What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.”