More than 50,000 working households are living in poverty across New Zealand.

Research by the Human Rights Commission shows that being employed does not necessarily mean being above the poverty threshold.

The research, conducted by AUT's New Zealand Work Research Institute (NZWRI), used 2013 census data to determine the number of working impoverished people.

Due to increases in the cost of living since then, the true number of employed Kiwis living in poverty is likely much higher.