How we work with other organisations to improve outcomes

We cannot deliver our outcomes on our own. We partner with many different agencies, organisations and groups within communities who may have connections and expertise that make them better placed to make a lasting difference in people’s lives.

We work in partnership with Māori, Pacific peoples and diverse communities across New Zealand to build community leadership and capability to support social inclusion and wellbeing, and we collaborate with the NGO sector on the design and implementation of a wide range of programmes and initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing vulnerability and harm.

We play an important role in supporting regional growth, by working with local employers and creating training and employment opportunities for people.

We’re serious about helping regional communities to reach their economic and social potential. If we can work with others to do more to support our regions, for example by attracting new investment or creating jobs and skills, our national economy will be stronger and people’s standard of living will be higher.

If we can harness community expertise to support safe, thriving families, we will increase wellbeing for all New Zealanders.

We have a strong regional network that supports the development of regional labour markets. Our Regional Commissioners are responsible for implementing, at regional and local levels, the Government’s employment and income support policies.

The broad scope of social development presents an opportunity for us to make impacts in a variety of sectors beyond welfare, such as health, justice, housing and education. All these sectors are important pillars in achieving good social development, and they are also inherently interlinked.

We are involved in a wide range of cross-sector initiatives to improve our understanding of how to support people with disabilities and health conditions. These are part of a large suite of trials and partnerships to develop more effective service interventions.

We take a co-design approach to the development of services that better meet the needs of whānau in marginalised communities. By partnering with providers across specialist sectors we listen to their stories about the strengths of existing services and the capabilities needed for a strong and supported workforce, and we seek to identify gaps in available support and to understand what makes good practice. Our strong commitment to this ongoing collaborative process will ensure our programmes and initiatives are relevant, up to date, and – most importantly – make a real difference to those most in need of support.