Ministry of Youth Development – Te Manatū Whakahiato Taiohi

The Ministry of Youth Development (MYD) - Te Manatū Whakahiato Taiohi encourages and supports the use of a positive youth development approach to help support young people, aged between 12 and 24 years, to increase their overall wellbeing so that they are better able to succeed in, contribute to, and enjoy life. It also supports the broader youth sector and promotes a better understanding of how best to support and empower young people.

MYD spends around $19 million per year on a wide range of youth development and youth enterprise programmes, services, and initiatives. This includes the Ākonga Youth Development Community Fund which supports Iwi and community-based youth development providers to deliver programmes outside of traditional education settings (e.g., schools/kura) to support ākonga/learners (aged 12 to 21 years) who have been adversely affected by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and/or other factors, to stay engaged in their education journey.

MYD plays an important role in bringing youth voice to the table. Some of the ways in which the Ministry supports and enables young people to have their voices heard is through its Youth Advisory Group, The Hive, and Youth Parliament. MYD is the lead agency for the development and delivery of the Government’s Youth Plan, which is an all-of-government action under the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy.

The Ministry is a small organisation that achieves results by working collaboratively with young people, other funders (including iwi, business, and philanthropic organisations), providers, local government, and other government agencies.

MYD supports the Minister for Youth in their portfolio, and is administered by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) - Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora, sitting within the Māori, Communities and Partnerships group.

The General Manager, Youth is John Robertson.