E Tipu E Rea, highlights the insights of Ngā Tini Whetū, which is the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) response to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) child
poverty reduction and child and youth wellbeing strategy programmes. The aims of these programmes
is to improve the wellbeing of all New Zealand children and young people, with a particular focus on
those from low-income households. The DPMC provides significant financial and policy support to these
programmes, including through the Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction Group.

The Ngā Tini Whetū pilot was launched in 2019 in seven regions across Te Ika-a-Māui (North Island of
Aotearoa New Zealand). This pilot has demonstrated how a whānau-centered, locally-led, and ground up
approach was able to contribute to sustained reductions in child poverty and improvements to tamariki
wellbeing across the motu. That this was achieved in the midst of the uncertainties and disruptions of the
COVID-19 pandemic is a further indication of the strength and flexibility of the Ngā Tini Whetū kaupapa.
Ngā Tini Whetū was funded through three Government Agencies - Accident Compensation Corporation
(ACC), Oranga Tamariki and Te Puni Kōkiri who integrated funding for the Ngā Tini Whetū Pilot. The
collective investment across agencies meant that agencies were able to work together in new ways to
achieve their goals. The success of the initiative was also due to a number of other factors including the
effective use of data, the strength of relationships, and the ability to work in a way that is whānau-centered
and focused on achieving outcomes.
This report first outlines the current state of child poverty within Aotearoa. The DPMC’s Child and
Youth Wellbeing is then discussed, providing the contextual basis for how Ngā Tini Whetū has been
designed and funded through a cross-sectoral and devolved approach. The logic model and models of
transformation underpinning Ngā Tini Whetū will then be reviewed, providing an in-depth understanding
of the drivers and mātauranga that provide the foundations to the kaupapa. The levers of change that
were utilised throughout the Pilot will then be outlined, primarily that of Te Kete Oranga, highlighting the
key elements and activities that made this Pilot successful in reducing child poverty, and increasing the
wellbeing of whānau and their tamariki. This report concludes that Ngā Tini Whetū provides a model for
future cross-sectoral collaborations in addressing and funding solutions to complex social issues. (From the Introduction). Record #8404