RESEARCH PAPER
The lost middle

Imagine a 14-year-old girl in Tauranga who has struggled with anxiety for years. She forces herself to school each day, stomach in knots, doing her best to appear “fine.” At home, she withdraws to her room, feeling invisible. When she finally sought help, she was turned away three times. It took self-harm and a crisis for services to take notice. “I told them I was harming myself and that’s when they cared. They only care when you’re at risk, not anywhere before that,” she says. Appendix 1

Her mum is exhausted and heartbroken: “I don’t know where to go now. She’s still stuck in her bedroom... I feel like no one cares” Appendix 2

Her story is not an isolated case. Across Aotearoa New Zealand, thousands of young people are quietly falling through the cracks. They aren’t truant enough to sound alarms or top of the class enough to get special attention. They’re doing okay, until suddenly they’re not. This research paper shines a light on these youth - the “lost middle” - and the systemic failings that leave them unsupported. It weaves together personal stories, data, and community insights to show how we can do right by these rangatahi (young people). Most of all, it’s a call to action that we must not wait until they break before we lend a hand.

“I told them I was harming myself and that’s when they cared. They only care when you’re at risk, not anywhere before that”.