Serious and persistent child and youth offending is 25 percent lower than a June 2023 baseline, according to the latest Annual Report on the Child and Youth Strategy released today.

Minister for Children Karen Chhour said the government’s target had been a 15 percent reduction by 2030, but current trends suggest the drop could double within the next 18 months. “We’re now consistently seeing offending rates amongst children dropping, with the improvement since 2019/20 particularly significant and positive,” she said.

Chhour said communities report feeling safer and that consequences for harmful behaviour are better understood by young people. “The biggest improvement has come amongst what was once considered the hardest to help group, serious and persistent young offenders,” she said.

The report also notes a reduction in substantiated findings of child abuse and neglect. At the same time, Oranga Tamariki is receiving a record number of Reports of Concern. The Minister encouraged anyone worried about a child’s treatment to contact the agency, saying increased reporting alongside fewer substantiations indicates the system is listening and responding.

Chhour thanked Oranga Tamariki staff, calling social work “a challenging and sometimes thankless job,” and said meeting frontline workers around the country had left her “inspired and deeply humbled.”

The Minister’s statement did not include raw numbers or definitions for “serious and persistent” offending, nor a breakdown of how the measures are calculated. Those details are expected to sit within the report released today.

Chhour framed the gains as part of a long-term shift: “We’re turning around generational issues, that will take decades,” she said, adding that early indicators are moving in the right direction.