Chief Executive’s foreword | Kupu Takamua a Te Tumu Whakarae
Chief Executive’s foreword
Tēnā koutou katoa
We want people to live full, meaningful lives in vibrant, resilient communities. This is at the heart of what we do at the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and you can see it reflected in our actions and our purpose:
Manaaki tangata, Manaaki whānau
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
As I look back on my sixth year as Chief Executive, I am proud of how much we have achieved, with the support of our partners. Our work requires a combined effort from MSD and those outside MSD who support our work – providers, employers, strategic partners, industry and community groups, non-governmental organisations, hāpu and iwi, Pacific peoples and our public service colleagues.
We interact with more than a million New Zealanders a year, including job seekers, young people, caregivers and people unable to work due to a health condition, injury or disability, those in hardship or needing somewhere to stay, people affected by emergencies such as the June 2024 floods in Hawke’s Bay and Te Tairāwhiti Gisborne, communities needing food security, those impacted by family violence or sexual violence, and more than 900,000 seniors who receive Superannuation.
Our 2024 Annual Report sets out what MSD is doing to deliver the Government’s priorities. We have been set clear targets by the Government to deliver by 2030:
- reducing the number of people on Jobseeker Support by 50,000
- reducing the number of households in emergency housing by 75 percent (jointly with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development).
These targets not only provide a focus for us – they are something our partners and communities can get behind too.
For the Jobseeker Support target, our case managers’ focus is on job seekers, young people, people with children and those who have been on a benefit more than a year. We are connecting more regularly with clients and making sure people know their obligations when on a benefit, such as letting us know if their situation changes and looking for work. We have also been preparing for the introduction of a new traffic light system that will make it easier for clients to understand if they are meeting their obligations, and how to get back on track if they are not.
Challenging economic conditions, the increased cost of living, housing affordability issues, along with rising unemployment have led to an increase in the number of people coming to MSD for help. We are adept at moving our people at pace to the areas of highest need.
Emergency housing numbers are coming down. This is the result of a concerted effort in this space, including more housing supply, introducing a priority one fast track for whānau with children in emergency housing for 12 weeks or longer and new Emergency Housing Supplier Standards.
Love Better, our violence prevention campaign aimed at young people, was a finalist for a 2024 Spirit of Service Award and won two media industry awards. While these endorsements matter, what is more important is the strong engagement young people have had on this tough topic.
In July 2024, we welcomed the Royal Commission’s final report into abuse in care. Over the last year, our Historic Claims team has worked with over 1,000 survivors to address their claims.
MSD’s Te Pae Tawhiti Transformation Programme made significant progress this year, with development underway on a new partnering system, digital employment service and service experience platform.
Like all government agencies, fiscal sustainability has been a priority for MSD and we have had to make some difficult decisions. Our priority has been to make savings where we can without impacting our frontline services.
I’d like to thank everyone for their contribution this year.
As you look through this Annual Report you’ll see a lot of figures, facts and stats. What I hope everyone who reads this takes away is that behind these numbers are people, often vulnerable people, who matter to us, to their families and to their communities.
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People
This Annual Report also contains the Annual Report of Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People as a departmental agency of MSD. It is included in this document for the purposes of presentation to Parliament and publication.
At the time of preparing these Annual Reports, the Government announced changes to the disability support system, with Disability Support Services being set up as a separate business unit within MSD. For disabled people and their carers who receive Disability Support Services, their point of contact will continue to be their providers, just as it is now.
These changes have not impacted the Whaikaha and MSD Annual Reports, as the announcement was made outside the reporting period.
Debbie Power | Chief Executive
Ministry of Social Development
Kupu Takamua a Te Tumu Whakarae
Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko te hiahia kia tōnui, kia whai tikanga te oranga o te tangata ki ngā hapori ngangahau, manawaroa hoki. Ko te manawa tēnei o ā mātou mahi i Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora (MSD), otirā ka kitea hoki e whakaatahia ana i roto i ā mātou mahi me tō mātou kaupapa:
Manaaki tangata, Manaaki whānau
Ka āwhina mātau i te iwi o Aotearoa kia haumaru, kia kaha, kia motuhake.
I a au e titiro whakamuri ana ki taku tau tuaono hei Tumu Whakarae, e whakahī ana ahau ki te nui o ngā whakatutukitanga, me te tautoko o ō mātou hoa rangapū. Ko te herenga i runga i ā mātou mahi, kia ngātahi te hoe a MSD me te hunga i waho o MSD e tautoko ana i ā mātou mahi – ngā kaiwhakarato, ngā kaituku mahi, ngā hoa rautaki, ngā ahumahi me ngā rōpū hapori, ngā rōpū kāwanatanga-kore, ngā hapū, nga iwi, ngā iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me ō mātou hoa ratonga tūmatanui.
Ka pāhekoheko mātou ki te neke atu i te kotahi miriona tāngata o Aotearoa i te tau, tae atu ki te hunga kimi mahi, ngā rangatahi, ngā kaitiaki me te hunga kāore e āhei ki te mahi nā te mate hauora, te wharanga, te hauātanga rānei, te hunga pōhara, te hunga kimi wāhi noho, te hunga i pā kinohia e ngā ohotata pēnei i ngā waipuke o te Hune 2024 i Te Matau-a-Māui me Te Tairāwhiti, ngā hapori kei te hiahia i te haumaru kai, te hunga i pā kinohia e te riri ā-whare, te taitōkai rānei, otirā me te neke atu i te 900,000 o ngā kaumātua ka whiwhi i te Penihana.
Ka whakatakoto ā mātou Pūrongo a-Tau 2024 i ngā mahi a MSD ki te kawe i ngā whakaarotau a te Kāwanatanga. Ka tau ētahi whāinga pūahoaho e te Kāwanatanga mā mātou hei kawe ā te 2030:
- te whakaiti i te maha o te hunga kei te Jobseeker Support mā te 50,000
- te whakaiti i te nui o ngā whānau kei ngā whare ohotata mā te 75 ōrau (ka mahi tahi me Te Manatū Whare me te Whanaketanga Tāone).
Ka noho ēnei whāinga hei aronga mō mātou – otirā he mea hoki hei tautoko mā ō mātou hoa rangapū me ngā hapori.
Mō te whāinga o Jobseeker Support, ko te aronga o ngā kaiwhakahaere kēhi ko ngā kairapu mahi, te rangatahi, te hunga whai tamariki me te hunga kua noho ki te penihana, neke atu i te kotahi tau. Kua auau ake tā mātou tūhono ki ngā kiritaki me te whakarite kia mōhio ngā tāngata ki ō rātou takohanga i te wā kei runga penihana, pēnei i te whakamōhio mai ina panoni te āhuatanga noho me te rapu mahi. Kua tīmata hoki te whakarite mō te whakaurunga mai o te pūnaha rama toru hou e māmā ake ai te mārama a ngā kiritaki mēnā e tutuki ana ngā takohanga, me te hoki anō ai ki te ara tika mēnā i kotiti.
Nā ngā āhuatanga ōhanga uaua, te pikinga o ngā utu noho, me ngā take utu whare, tatū noa ki te pikinga o te kore mahi, kua piki te maha o te hunga e kuhu mai ana ki MSD ki te rapu āwhina. He tautōhito mātou ki te nuku wawe i ā mātou kaimahi ki ngā wāhi matea nui.
Kei te heke haere ngā tatauranga whare ohotata. Ko te hua tēnei o te mahi heipū i tēnei wāhanga, tae atu ki te whakarahi ake i ngā whare, te whakauru mai i tētahi tukanga huarahi wawe mā ngā whānau whai tamariki kei ngā whare ohotata mō te 12 wiki neke atu, me ngā Paerewa Whakarato Whare Ohotata hou.
E aro ana tā mātou hōtaka tauārai haupatu a Love Better, ki te hunga rangatahi, otirā i whai wāhi ki ngā whiringa toa o te Tohu Spirit of Service 2024, ā, i whakawhiwhia ki ngā tohu o te ahumahi pāpāho e rua. Ahakoa e whai tikanga tonu ana ēnei tohu whakanui, ko te mea hira rawa ko te whai wāhi kaha ki te hunga rangatahi ki tēnei take taumaha.
I te Hūrae 2024, i pōhiritia e mātou te pūrongo whakamutunga a te Kōmihana Roera ki te tūkinotanga i te wā o te tiakanga. I te tau ka hori, i mahi tahi tā mātou rōpū Kerēme Tawhito me ngā mōrehu 1,000 neke atu, ki te whakatau i ā rātou kerēme.
He nui ngā kokenga a te hōtaka whakaumu a MSD a Te Pae Tawhiti i tēnei tau nā te whanaketanga o te pūnaha rangapū hou, te ratonga whiwhi mahi matihiko me te pae wheako ratonga hou.
Pērā ki ngā tari kāwanatanga katoa, he mahi mātāmua te toitū ahumoni mā MSD, ā, i puta ētahi whakatau uaua. Ko tā mātou whakaarotau he penapena pūtea i ngā wāhi e taea ana, me te kore anō e whai pānga ki ā mātou ratonga aroākapa.
Kei te hiahia au ki te mihi ki te hunga katoa i whai wāhi mai i tēnei tau.
I a koe e titiro ana ki te Pūrongo ā-Tau he nui ngā tatauranga me ngā meka ka kitea e koe. Ko taku wawata mā te hunga ka pānui i tēnei, ko te hunga kei muri i ēnei tatauranga he tangata whakaraerae, te hunga whai take ki a mātou, ki ō rātou whānau me ō rātou hapori.
Whaikaha – Te Manatū Hunga Hauā
Kei roto hoki i tēnei Pūrongo ā-Tau te Pūrongo ā-tau a Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People, hei tari i raro i a MSD. Ka whakauru ki tēnei tuhinga hei whakaaturanga ki te Pāremata, ā, hei whakaputanga hoki.
I te wā o te whakariterite i ēnei Pūrongo e rua, i pānuitia e te Kāwanatanga ngā panoni ki te pūnaha tautoko whaikaha, otirā i whakaritea ngā Ratonga Tautoko Hauātanga hei peka pakihi motuhake i roto i a MSD. Mō te hunga whaikaha me ō rātou kaitiaki ka whakamahi i ngā Ratonga Tautoko Hauātanga, ka noho tonu ko ngā kaiwhakarato te whakapānga tuatahi, pēnei i te wā tonu nei.
Kāore he pānga o ēnei panoni ki ngā Pūrongo ā-Tau a Whaikaha me MSD, i te mea i waho kē tēnei pānuitanga i te wā tuku pūrongo.
Debbie Power | Tumu Whakarae
Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora
