New Zealand: Changing the Conversation on Well-Being

IMF News, January 26, 2022

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Budget focus: prioritize five key areas — mental health, child well-being, supporting the aspirations of the Māori and Pasifika populations, building a productive nation, and transforming the economy.
Major announced investment: $NZ 1.9 billion in mental health.
Other measures: unveiled billions for mental health services and child poverty as well as record investment in measures to tackle family violence.
Context: New Zealand, a nation of 5 million people, performs well on many well-being measures relative to most other OECD countries but faces acute challenges in family and sexual violence and child poverty.
Child poverty statistic: in 2020, up to 210,500 children lived in poverty (18.4 percent), according to New Zealand’s statistics agency.

Core idea: well-being requires a holistic view of what constitutes a good life, including access to health care and education and a strong sense of connection to community.
Policy shift: recognition that policy must consider outcomes beyond income; health and the economy are viewed as interlinked.
Leadership perspectives:
- Girol Karacaoglu: “There’s a realization that we need to worry about other things than income. New Zealand has taken this very seriously, and Budget 2019 is a good example of that.”
- Kirk Hope: “Well-being is critical to business. You won’t have a very productive workforce without it.”

Identified needs:
- Stronger measurement of outcomes and better use of existing statistical ability.
- Development of decision-making infrastructure that links community wisdom and lifetime individual data.
Process emphasis:
- Karacaoglu: “Process matters critically in achieving desired well-being outcomes—and the most important shift in process is the requirement to give communities more voice and resources to drive change.”
- Dominick Stephens: “We’re thinking more holistically about how to deliver better outcomes for people. But we’re also continuing to build our understanding of well-being. This is hard.”
- Emily Mason: “Well-being as a concept is the right one but you need measures and decision-making infrastructure to make it work. You need the wisdom of community and of what has gone before, and to link that to data measurement, looking at each individual over the course of their lifetime. At its heart, well-being is an individual thing.”
Practical implication: move away from designing initiatives from the center toward devolving resources and co-designing with families and community stakeholders; resource Māori and other providers to develop community-specific solutions.

Strategy: a recently unveiled 10-year mental health strategy acknowledges the need to give people tools to take care of their own well-being and that of others.
Service changes: introduction of early support services for mental health at GP practices and community centers.
Expert note: Shaun Robinson — more remains to be done to deliver improvements despite positive steps.

Continuity: government remained consistent in its goals in subsequent budgets despite being “hugely challenged by COVID-19.”
Acceleration: COVID-19 “upped the ante” on child and youth well-being priorities, requiring redoubled efforts.
Local response lesson: pandemic responses demonstrated community strengths that the government should tap into; supports the move to devolve resources and co-design solutions.

Findings:
- Budget 2019 reframed policy priorities toward holistic well-being across five areas.
- $NZ 1.9 billion earmarked specifically for mental health.
- Child poverty in 2020: up to 210,500 children in poverty (18.4 percent).
- New Zealand population cited as 5 million.
Policy directions and recommendations:
- Invest in measurement systems and decision-making infrastructure to track lifetime outcomes for individuals.
- Devolve resources and decision-making to communities; co-design policies with families, community stakeholders, and Māori providers.
- Ensure health investments deliver measurable outcomes that support workforce productivity.
- Scale community-based early mental health supports in primary care and community settings.
- Use lessons from local pandemic responses to strengthen community-driven solutions.

By Anna Jaquiery, January 26, 2022 — New Zealand: Changing the Conversation on Well-Being