Government’s priorities for the next decade

The Government’s priorities for the next decade are economic transformation, families – young and old, and national identity.

Economic transformation focuses on transforming New Zealand’s economy to a high income, knowledge-based market economy, which is innovative and creative and provides a high quality of life to all New Zealanders.

Much of our work directly supports the priority of economic transformation. We help people into sustainable employment. We deliver programmes and services to build the skills of the New Zealand workforce, partnering with employers to meet their demand for skilled workers. We provide social protection for people who are temporarily or permanently unable to work. We also provide assistance, information and advice to students entering tertiary education.

Making families – young and old a priority is about ensuring New Zealand provides a life-time of opportunity. That means providing New Zealanders with choices. Families – young and old is about supporting families to do what they do best –- looking after their family members and supporting them to thrive and succeed. It requires us to invest in the future of this country by investing in the potential of all New Zealanders. It requires us to get it right at the beginning – investing early in life and early in the life of a problem.

Our leadership of projects like The Social Report, and chairing the Social Sector Forum (Health, Education, Social Development and Justice Chief Executives' Group), helps to achieve the Government goal for cross-agency action in ensuring all families, young and old, can reach their potential.

The priority of national identity involves enabling all New Zealanders to take pride in who and what we are. Our leadership of work across government to strengthen relations between New Zealand’s diverse communities contributes to valueing and understanding who we are, what we do, where we live and how we are seen by the world.