The Child and Youth Strategy 2024-27
The Child and Youth Strategy (the Strategy) 2024-27 sets out the Government’s vision and desired outcomes for children and young people in New Zealand.
The Strategy responds to the requirement in the Children’s Act 2014 to adopt a strategy to improve outcomes for children. It provides a snapshot of key actions the Government is taking now, areas in which further work will be undertaken, and the measures that will used to demonstrate progress.
This Strategy refreshes the previous Strategy (published in 2019) so it reflects the current Government’s policies, priorities and activities. This Strategy will be reviewed again in late 2027.
The Strategy identifies three priorities to drive cross-government work, inform investment decisions, and ensure progress is measured.
The three priorities are:
- supporting children and their families and whānau in the first 2,000 days
- reducing child material hardship
- preventing harm against children.
Read the Child and Youth Strategy 2024-27
As a PDF
As HTML
Background to the refresh of the Child and Youth Strategy
In early 2024, the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction decided to refresh the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy to better reflect the current Government’s policies, priorities, and activities.
The Minister directed officials to engage with targeted stakeholders and partners. During June-July 2024, engagement was undertaken via a series of focus groups, workshops, and engagements in two key workstreams:
- a child and youth engagement workstream led by the Children and Young People’s Commission | Mana Mokopuna, and
- a targeted engagement workstream led by Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction Group officials at the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).
There were some clear linkages between what was heard directly from children and young people and from sector stakeholders and partners. These included themes:
- supporting children and young people in the context of their parents/families/whānau and communities
- ensuring that children and young people’s essential needs are met, that they are safe, supported in their mental health and cultural identity, have opportunities and spaces for fun and friendships, and have a sense of belonging in their communities.
Read the Summary of Engagement – Refresh of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy
The Summary of Engagement on the refresh of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy provides a summary of the subject matter covered during the engagements and of the input and feedback received.
Read the Summary of Engagement – Refresh of the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy June-July 2024 – PDF version
Read the report - Understanding the life-course journey - Report of mokopuna voices to inform the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy Review 2024
MSD commissioned the Children and Young People’s Commission | Mana Mokopuna to design and facilitate specific engagements with children and young people to inform the refresh of the Strategy.
Read the Gazette notice
Read the Cabinet paper and other key briefings on refreshing the Strategy
- Cabinet paper – Information releases
- Reports to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction - Information releases
Access the archived website and Programme of Action for the previous Strategy
Join the mailing list
Register for our mailing list and receive email updates on the Strategy.
