Canterbury Regional Plan 2006/2007
Foreword from the Regional Commissioner for Social Development
I welcome this opportunity to outline the Ministry’s contribution to the social and economic success in Canterbury.
We apply a social development approach to our work. This means increasing our understanding of how the different areas of wellbeing such as health, education, employment and income overlap and work together.
We provide income support and a helping hand for people during hard times, but we also have to look ahead. As we move forward, we will continue to increase our focus on addressing the reasons why problems occur. This means taking a longer-term view - putting things in place to support people now, while looking at what we can do to make things better in the future.
Individuals and families face many challenges and pressures. Many other organisations work with the same people we do, and I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work they do. The complexity of issues can often make finding solutions difficult for just one agency working on their own. Positive change requires a joint approach, and we remain committed to working together on areas of shared interest, so we can all achieve better results.
We are taking a broader and more aligned approach across the range of services we offer in the region. Each of our business units is responsible for delivering a range of outcomes but we are also working together on issues we have prioritised for joint action, including helping people reduce and manage debt, and supporting people to live free from violence, abuse and neglect.
The organisational capacity this provides will strengthen our ability to work alongside community groups, local government and our colleagues in the public sector to provide services that respond more effectively to the issues facing our communities.
We have teams who work with a wide range of organisations and deal with the events, issues and crises that people face throughout the various stages of life. We touch the lives of many people every day, and the commitment and dedication shown by these talented staff is a key factor in our success. Thank you all, you do make a difference, and your work continues to be an inspiration.
John Henderson
Regional Commissioner for Social Development
