About Better Public Services
Better Public Services is creating a public sector that can respond even more effectively to the needs and expectations of New Zealanders.
About Better Public Services
Better Public Services is creating a public sector that can respond even more effectively to the needs and expectations of New Zealanders.
Better Public Services is built on ten public service results that the Government has committed the public sector to achieving in the next three to five years.
The targets cover five themes:
- Reducing long-term welfare dependency
- Supporting vulnerable children
- Boosting skills and employment
- Reducing crime
- Improving interaction with government.
The Ministry and Peter Hughes, as Chief Executive, are taking the lead on boosting skills and employment and working with the Ministry of Social Development, as lead agency, to support vulnerable children.
The Better Public Service targets are ambitious, but we believe they are achievable. It is the Ministry of Education’s ultimate goal to equip every young person with the skills to live a rich and fulfilling life, and contribute to their own and New Zealand’s economic prosperity. These targets will focus our efforts and resources to ensure that this important goal can be achieved.
However, we can’t do this alone. It will require the collaborative effort of the entire education sector to determine how best we can achieve these targets.
The Ministry is charged with the achievement of three ambitious targets:
- In 2016, 98% of children starting school will have participated in quality early childhood education.
- In 2017, 85% of young people will have achieved NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent qualification.
- In 2017, 55% of 25-34 year olds will have a qualification at level 4 or above.
Supporting vulnerable children
On 22 August 2012, the Ministers of Health, Education and Social Welfare introduced the Result Action Plan for supporting vulnerable children.
In 2016, 98 percent of children starting school will have participated in quality ECE, an increase of 3.3 percent from 2011.
Why this target?
Regular participation in high quality early childhood education significantly increases a child’s chance success in education, particularly for children from vulnerable families.
Boosting skills and employment
Under boosting skills and employment we are the lead agency for the two targets:
- 85 percent of 18-year-olds with NCEA level 2 or an equivalent qualification by 2017
- 55 per cent of 25-34 year olds will have a qualification at level 4 or above by 2017
Why these two targets?
Target 1:
NCEA Level 2 gives people the skills required for further education, to progress in working life, achieve better health outcomes and a better quality of life generally.
Target 2:
People with a level 4 and above qualification have higher incomes and a better economic return than those with lower qualifications.
Progress so far
Graph showing progress towards 98% of children starting school having participated in quality early childhood education by 2016
Graph showing progress towards 85% of young people achieving NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent qualification by 2017
Graph showing progress towards 55% of 25-34 year olds having a qualification at level 4 or above
Find out more on how the Ministry plans to meet these targets.
More information on Better Public Services is available on the State Services Commission website.