Statement of Intent 2008 - Operating intentions

The Ministry of Social Development is responsible for assisting people in need throughout their lives. The Ministry’s outcomes are:

High level outcomes

Children and young people

Give children the best start in life

Children are New Zealand’s future. All children grow up in a safe and happy environment.

Help young people achieve their potential

Young people are supported to overcome barriers, and develop their understanding and ability to make good decisions about the range of issues and opportunities they may face.

Working age people

Enable people to live independent lives

All New Zealanders have access to services and the ability to obtain skills that will allow them to live healthy and productive lives and to achieve independence throughout their working lives.

Older people

Enable older people to lead full and secure lives

Older people have access to their full entitlements and are able to live independently.

Families and whānau

Supporting families and whānau to be safe and resilient

Families and whānau are able to support their members’ wellbeing, identity, participation in society and interdependence.

Communities, hapū and iwi

Strengthening communities

Build our relationships with, and the capability of, the community and voluntary sector to ensure that New Zealand families and communities are strong and resilient.

The outcome areas are strongly linked and interdependent.

Our outcomes describe what we want to achieve for children and young people, working age and older people, families and communities. We recognise that some groups in New Zealand are more likely to experience disadvantage and have fewer opportunities. These include Māori, Pacific Peoples, recent migrants and refugees, disabled people, and families with low incomes. Each group is different and each with their own strengths. Our priority is to help these groups realise their potential, which is essential to improve the overall wellbeing of New Zealanders.

Our research and experience has led us to identify deliverables that we consider will make the most significant contribution to our outcomes and to the Government’s priorities. For each outcome area, indicators and measures assess the contribution of our interventions.