Community Alzheimers and Dementia services’ struggle for funding only gets harder

In this very moment there are about 83,000 people living with dementia mate wareware. And about 37,600 of them and their whānau are missing out on critical community-based dementia services from the local Alzheimers or Dementia organisation.

That’s more people than the entire population of Queenstown.

And why? It’s simple. The funding just isn’t available. Or maybe it’s there and it’s been allocated elsewhere.

Local services provide essential day-to-day support and community education and awareness, and yet many are still struggling to keep the lights on.

There are donors, fundraisers and an army of volunteers around the country who help keep the services running. But how long can we rely on this generosity?

There is an increasing amount of need and a shrinking pool of funding available. And each cause is just as worthy as another.

You may have seen recently that Alzheimers Wairarapa is the only service in the country that gets exactly zero funding from Health NZ despite the many whānau they support. And Alzheimers South Canterbury doesn’t fare better at only $11,000 per year.

Alzheimers Gisborne Tairāwhiti is expected to deliver community education for the region for just $4.31/month.

Alzheimers Otago is at risk of losing critical grant funding for essential rural services, putting much-needed community supports at risk of hibernation without replacement funding.

The struggle for funding is getting increasingly harder for community services, which only impacts the tens of thousands of whānau missing out on the critical support they deserve.

But here is a small glimmer of hope on the horizon.

We recently welcomed comments by Associate Minister of Health Hon Casey Costello at Summit 2025 that community-based dementia services are a critical part of the health system and that she accepts the need for more funding.

And after years of advocating for fairly funded local community-based services it’s great to see a commitment to change but the question is, how are these services going to survive meantime?

And the people living with dementia mate wareware and their whānau are the ones who will be left unsupported. That’s the real struggle.

You can support our call for fair funding for local Alzheimers and Dementia services using the resource available on the Alzheimers NZ website.