Statement of Intent

Nature and scope of functions

We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent.

Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake.

Our purpose

The Ministry of Social Development helps New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent.

Our role and functions

We achieve our purpose through providing:

  • statutory care and protection of children and young people, youth justice services and adoption services
  • funding for community service providers
  • employment support
  • income support including payments, entitlements and New Zealand Superannuation
  • social housing assessments and services
  • access to concessions and discounts for senior citizens, families and low-income New Zealanders
  • student allowances and student loans
  • information, knowledge and support for families and communities
  • campaigns that challenge antisocial attitudes and behaviour
  • services to uphold the integrity of the welfare system and minimise the debt levels of people we work with
  • leadership across the social sector.

Better Public Services

The Ministry’s Chief Executive, as Chair of the Social Sector Board, has responsibility for leading the cross-agency effort to achieve the following four Better Public Services (BPS) results:

  • Reduce working-age client numbers by 25 percent, and reduce the long-term cost of benefit dependency by $13 billion by June 2018 (Result 1)
  • Increase participation in early childhood education (Result 2)
  • Increase infant immunisation rates and reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever (Result 3)
  • Reduce the number of assaults on children (Result 4)

The Ministry also contributes to the following four Better Public Services results:

  • Increase the proportion of 18-year-olds with NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent qualification (Result 5)
  • Reduce the rates of total crime, violent crime and youth crime (Result 7)
  • Reduce reoffending (Result 8)
  • New Zealanders can complete their transactions with the Government easily in a digital environment (Result 10).

Our scope

We administer over $24.4 billion in government expenditure and provide services and assistance to more than 1.1 million New Zealanders and 110,000 families.

The Ministry provides services to the:

  • Minister for Social Development
  • Minister of State Services
  • Minister for Social Housing
  • Minister for Youth
  • Minister of Revenue
  • Minister for Senior Citizens
  • Minister of Veterans’ Affairs
  • Associate Minister for Social Development
  • Minister for Disability Issues.

We administer one Vote

  • Vote Social Development.

We monitor four Crown entities

  • Children’s Commissioner
  • Families Commission (Superu)
  • New Zealand Artificial Limb Service
  • Social Workers Registration Board.

We support statutory tribunals and advisory committees

  • Expert Advisory Group on Information Security
  • Modernising Child, Youth and Family Expert Advisory Panel
  • Social Security Appeal Authority
  • Student Allowance Appeal Authority
  • Social Workers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal
  • Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families
  • Work and Income Board
  • Nine Child, Youth and Family Residence Grievance Panels.

We provide leadership across government by:

  • chairing the Social Sector Board, including the Vulnerable Children’s Board and Joint Venture Board
  • hosting the Children’s Action Plan Directorate, the Social Sector Trials Programme Office, the all-of-government Property Management Centre of Expertise (PMCoE) and the Family Violence Unit
  • co-ordinating two Treaty Settlement Social Sector Accords (Te Hiku and Tūhoe).

Our structure

Service Delivery cluster

This cluster provides services to people through the following service lines: Work and Income (including social housing), StudyLink, Senior Services, Integrity Services, Youth Service, Child, Youth and Family (CYF), and Community Investment.

Policy cluster

This cluster provides social sector-wide policy advice, including advising on issues relating to children, families, youth, income support, employment, social housing, older people, disability and social sector strategy.

The policy cluster includes the Office of the Chief Policy Advisor, the Ministry of Youth Development, the Office for Disability Issues and the Office for Senior Citizens.

Corporate cluster

This cluster supports the policy and service delivery clusters through the Organisational Integrity, Organisational Strategy and Organisational Solutions groups.

PMCoE provides all-of-government property management services.

Legislation we manage and administer

We operate in a complex environment governed by many key pieces of legislation. This provides the framework to support the decisions we make and ensure a fair system for all who use it.

A full list of legislation that the Ministry administers can be found at www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/about-msd/legislation/index.html