Vicarious trauma. Funding insecurity. Pay disparity with government roles. Contracts running at 150% of funded volume. The drivers of burnout in the social services, NGO and iwi provider workforce are structural, and they have been visible to the sector for years. The response needs to be too.
The evidence
80%+
of community and voluntary organisations were dealing with ongoing increased demand and workload, in many cases since 2011, without corresponding funding increases.
ComVoices State of the Sector Survey, 2020
150%
"Some contracts are 150% by volume over what we are funded to provide, but we have an informal unspoken rule never to turn people away that ask for help." Verbatim respondent.
ComVoices State of the Sector Survey, 2022
16%
of NZ registered social workers plan to leave the profession in the next five years. Extrapolated, around 1,400 workers.
Social Workers Registration Board, Annual Workforce Report, 2024
What it looks like
In Aotearoa's social services, NGO and iwi provider workforce, burnout has a particular shape: vicarious trauma from carrying clients' experiences day after day, compassion fatigue from not being able to turn people away, moral injury from a system asking the workforce to absorb demand the funding doesn't cover, and senior kaimahi leaving for better-paid Crown roles while the remaining team carries their case load.
ComVoices' 2022 State of the Sector survey captured it plainly: contracts running at 150% of funded volume, an unspoken rule never to turn people away, and an organisation-level wellbeing pattern that mirrors the trauma of the people the sector supports; the Social Workers Registration Board's 2024 workforce report identified retirement and "burnout / high workloads" as the dominant retention challenges. For chief executives, board chairs and people leaders, funding doesn't match demand and pay doesn't match the Crown sector, and without explicit psychological support for the people doing the work, the model is unsustainable.
The drivers
Short-term, under-indexed government contracts are the single most-cited concern across ComVoices waves. Organisations can't plan, can't pay competitively, and can't rest. Every funding cycle is a survival cycle, and the workforce carries the cost.
Senior kaimahi can earn substantially more for similar work inside Crown agencies. The sector consistently trains workers who are then attracted to better-paid government roles, leaving a more junior workforce carrying client work that requires experience. The cycle compounds.
The combination is unique to this sector. Workers carry the trauma of the people they support, and the organisation simultaneously carries the moral injury of turning no one away despite being under-resourced. The clinical literature names this pattern. The sector has been living it for years.
How we help
3 Big Things works with social services, community NGOs and iwi providers across Aotearoa. We understand the funding realities of contract-based service delivery, the differences between mainstream and kaupapa Māori provision, the obligations under Te Tiriti, and the particular psychological load of trauma-exposed community work.
Identify the structural drivers in your workforce Psychosocial hazard assessment aligned to ISO 45003 and WorkSafe NZ guidance. Designed for the realities of a community workforce: small teams, varied roles, trauma exposure, and the financial constraints of contract-funded delivery.
Equip your leaders to support kaimahi sustainably Coaching and leadership development for chief executives, team leads and people leaders carrying responsibility for both the mission and the workforce. We build the structural literacy that lets you protect the team while the funding model keeps shifting beneath you.
Provide registered-psychologist support for trauma-exposed staff Confidential clinical support delivered by psychologists experienced with the community sector and trauma-exposed workforces. Where appropriate, we work alongside kaupapa Māori models and existing pastoral support.
We understand the financial reality of running a community organisation in Aotearoa. We work with you to find a delivery model that is genuinely affordable, including pricing arrangements that recognise the contract-funded nature of the sector.
Talk to us