Thousands more families will have access to evidence-based support to help parents meet their children's learning and development needs, following a $20 million investment in parenting initiatives from a Budget 2025 contingency fund.
"Parenting can be full of challenges and it's even harder when families go through hard times or have a child with additional needs," Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says.
"These initiatives focus on two of the three priorities of the Government's Child and Youth Strategy, including supporting children and their families and whānau in the first 2,000 days of a child's life and preventing against harm.
"There is overwhelming evidence that positive parenting practices during the first five or six years of a child's life can significantly improve children's wellbeing and development, with benefits lasting into later life.
"Half of the funding will be used to strengthen the support available to parents across the wider system, with the other $10 million allocated to services through the Social Investment Fund, which are focused on families with the highest needs.
"As part of the package, two well-evidenced parenting programmes - Triple P Positive Parenting and Mellow Parenting/Hoki ki te Rito - will be funded to continue and expand their services for parents.
"International and local evidence have found significant improvements in parenting practices and child development for families participating in Mellow Parenting/Hoki ki te Rito, and Triple P was ranked by the United Nations as the most extensively researched parenting programme internationally.
"The funding will enable Triple P programmes to be expanded and meet growing need. Mellow Parenting/Hoki ki te Rito will be expanded to support families facing high levels of stress, trauma, or complex needs."
The package will also include funding to re-instate Tākai - a national parenting platform providing trusted information and resources to parents, caregivers and those who support them.
"Together, these investments strengthen the range of parenting support from universal resources, through to intensive support for families with more complex needs," Louise Upston says.
Initial implementation is now underway, with programmes to begin expanding over the coming year. Programmes will be joined by Social Investment Fund initiatives which are currently in procurement and expected to begin later this year.
