Bay of Plenty Regional Plan 2007/2008
Foreword from the Regional Commissioner for Social Development
Looking forward to the challenges facing social development in our region this year, I would like to highlight some specific themes.
Our merger with Child, Youth and Family places us in a position where we have unparalleled opportunities and challenges in our region. As a united organisation, we now provide for the social wellbeing and advancement of our people 'from the cradle to the grave.' It is now our responsibility to cover our population's needs from childhood, through their teens and working life, and into their senior years.
The challenge for us, and it is a challenge I take very seriously, is to ensure that we are able to provide a seamless service to our people. We will strengthen the interface between our services and eliminate potential gaps such as young people who leave care at 17, but do not generally qualify for employment assistance until they are 18. In the intervening year, what happens to these youth? This is one of the gaps that we aim to close.
It is not only within government that there may be gaps in services that could disadvantage our people, but between our Ministry and community organisations that act in the social arena. I am committed to continuing to build links and to look for co-operative opportunities with our colleagues so that we can all act to strengthen the safety net we provide our people, both at an individual and community level. In particular, our involvement with Community Outcomes - Bay of Plenty (COBoP) over the last 12 months has been extremely valuable in fostering opportunities for co-operation, and we will continue to support this forum.
I continue to be concerned that some communities and some of our region's people have not benefited to the same extent as others from improvements in our economic conditions and employment rates over the last few years. While we have achieved historically low levels of unemployment, this has highlighted communities where opportunities for our people are limited or absent. By co-operating with these communities, local agencies, iwi and local government, my goal is to help foster social and economic development where we can identify specific, local needs and address them.
In the last 12 months our region has made great strides in improving the social wellbeing of our people. Without the co-operation and assistance of the Ministry's partners, our local stakeholders and my staff, these could not have occurred, and I wish to thank you all. We still have challenges for the forthcoming year, and all of us have a role to play in overcoming them. I invite you to join with us, and participate in this journey. Together, we can continue to make a difference.
Carl Crafar
Regional Commissioner for Social Development
