CYP'S Youth Policy Review Series - New Zealand’s Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy: Bold Vision, Brittle Delivery
Policy AnalysisBYCentre for Youth Policy
New Zealand is often praised as one of the world’s most progressive and liveable nations. Its international reputation is built on low corruption, political stability, and a high quality of life. To outsiders, it can seem like a near-perfect place to grow up. Yet in 2019, the government acknowledged that this image did not reflect the lived reality of many young people. With ~1.1 million children and youth under 18, the largest youth generation in the country’s history, New Zealand faced uncomfortable truths: stubborn child poverty rates, some of the highest youth suicide rates in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and systemic inequities affecting Māori and Pasifika youth.
