NewZealandFamiliesToday-MinistryofSocialDevelopment.doc

New Zealand Families Today A BRIEFING FOR THE FAMILIES COMMISSION July 2004 Table of Contents Foreword 4 Summary 5 Introduction 11 How to use this document 13 Budget 2004 14 Section 1: New Zealand Families 17 Demography of families 18 Family formation 26 Family circumstances 37 The role of men and women in families 37 Decision-making in families 39 Families and working lives 41 Economic circumstances of families 48 Family resources 56 Families with serious or multiple problems 59 Families and violence 60 Section 2: Families and their environment 64 Government and families: a range of approaches 65 Government and families in New Zealand 69 Families and the law 71 Families and working lives 74 Families and income 77 Families and housing 79 Families and education 82 Families and health 85 Families and disability 88 Families and social services 90 Māori families/whānau 94 Pacific families in New Zealand 97 Ethnic minority families 100 Families and human rights 103 Other stakeholders and families in New Zealand 108 Section 3: Research on families 111 Views of families through different disciplines 112 Areas of government investment in research relating to families 114 Mechanisms for co-ordinating and funding government investment in research 116 International research and research centres 118 Knowledge gaps in family research 119 References and Bibliography 123 Abbreviations 138 Appendices 141 Appendix 1: Supplementary data to Section 1 142 Appendix 2: Governments involvement with families 152 Appendix 3: Government agencies public awareness and education Programmes that relate to families 189 Appendix 4: Other sectors and families 193 Appendix 5: Research in New Zealand on families 213 Appendix 6: New Zealand and international research contacts 223 Appendix 7: Budget 2004 232 Endnotes 233 Foreword In looking to advocate for New Zealand families generally, and for categories of families with diff