Our Work in Aotearoa
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Our Work in Aotearoa
A brighter future for tamariki
Not all tamariki get to experience the amazing things Aotearoa has to offer.
It’s a great place to grow up, but child poverty, limited access to education and healthcare, and the effects of climate change are hitting our most vulnerable children hard.
Putting kids first is at the core of what we do at UNICEF. That’s why we’re working with community groups, businesses and schools to raise awareness about child rights in New Zealand.
UNICEF Aotearoa is advocating to government, collaborating with iwi, hapū, whānau and hapori Māori, and working with the wider child rights sector to protect our kids and provide a space for their voices to be heard.
Together, let's empower tamariki and rangatahi voices, igniting change for a better Aotearoa!
Child Rights Education
Did you know that each and every child has 42 fundamental rights?
These rights include a safe and warm home, nutritious food, quality education, and a fair justice system. They apply to every child, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or religion.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines these rights for kids aged zero to 18 years, recognising the responsibility of caregivers and communities to protect these rights.
New Zealand is a proud signatory of the Convention that has sparked some serious transformations around the globe. Governments have been motivated to revamp their laws, policies, and even invest more to ensure that kids receive proper healthcare and nutrition for their growth and survival.
Raising Awareness
We’re committed to empowering tamariki to become champions of their own rights!
Education is a key starting point, so we’ve developed a range of teaching resources and toolkits that are available via our Resource Hub.
These resources have been translated into Te Reo Māori, Samoan, and Tongan.
Over the next four years, our goal is to reach over 300,000 children, teachers, and parents, along with 500 schools, with educational resources that help rangatahi in New Zealand understand and advocate for their rights.
ADVOCATING FOR KIDS
We advocate for policies to promote and uphold children’s rights in Aotearoa. Throughout our advocacy, we emphasise children’s right to be heard on issues that affect them (Article 12 of the Convention), and the importance of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
making a difference
Our advocacy covers a wide range of children’s rights issues and is currently focussed in three key areas: social protection, climate action and mental health and wellbeing.
The best start in life
We advocate for decisions that ensure all children in Aotearoa have what they need to grow up well.
This means focussing on issues like child poverty, poor housing and food insecurity, which affect too many children here in New Zealand.
A climate-safe future
We advocate for decision-makers to recognise the climate crisis is a children’s rights crisis and urge strong action to ensure children have climate-safe futures.
Reducing emissions, protecting children from the impacts of climate change and prioritising child health and wellbeing in climate policy, investment and action are critical to address the changing climate and its impact on children everywhere.
Good mental health and wellbeing
Positive mental health means better life outcomes for children.
To achieve this, we advocate for investment in mental health services and supports for all children, increased accessibility to services and concerted action to reduce inequities in mental health outcomes.
Advocating with kids
Educating children about their rights gives them the power to influence the issues that matter most to them. We advocate for policies that align with child rights and give rangatahi opportunities for their voices to be heard.
Young Ambassador Programme
UNICEF Aotearoa has launched a dedicated Young Ambassador programme to promote youth advocacy in New Zealand! This initiative receives support from UNICEF and will shine a light on tamariki’s voices about domestic issues related to kids in Aotearoa. The YA’s will participate in global forums and meetings with other Young Ambassadors around the world.
We include their opinions in our collaboration with the Government and their voices influence policy decisions.
Strengthening networks for change
UNICEF Aotearoa's Changemakers Programme is all about empowering tamariki and rangatahi to take action in their communities. Whether you’re part of a school, a club, or going solo, this is your chance to make a real difference.
We’ve got a growing network of schools and clubs across Aotearoa, and individuals looking to kickstart their advocacy journey are welcome too! Whether you’re fundraising, campaigning, or getting creative with your ideas, you’ll be part of a global movement making an impact both locally and worldwide.
When you join our Changemakers community, you’re not just signing up – you’re stepping up. Stay connected with the latest from UNICEF, access tools to amplify your voice, and work alongside others to drive change. Craft your profile, dive into activities, or link up with a club near you.
Join now and start making your mark!
World Children’s Day
Every year on the 20th of November we celebrate World Children’s Day, when the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1989. Kids around the world come together to discuss important issues like climate change, mental health and discrimination. This is tamariki taking action and using their voices to ignite change.
Students at Piopio College participated by ‘going blue’ and launching new child rights resources for schools in Aotearoa!
SUBMISSIONS
Writing submissions on government proposals highlights the impacts on children’s rights and advocates for change that ensures the best possible outcomes for children. This is an important part of our work in Aotearoa. Have a look through the submissions we've made!
Empowering Communities
To make a real difference for tamariki in Aotearoa, we believe in the power of partnerships.
We create meaningful change together by collaborating with community groups, NGOs, businesses, and advocating to local and central government.
Here's how we put it into action:
Building Strategic Partnerships
We work with organisations in the child rights sector to strengthen our impact and achieve greater outcomes for tamariki in Aotearoa.
We support NGO’s and the community sector to make a positive difference in the lives of local kids by providing support and resources.
We’re a member of the Children’s Convention Monitoring Group that holds Government to account for implementing the Convention as well Ara Taiohi, the peak body for youth development in NZ.
Co-designing with Iwi and Pasifika
We kōrerorero with Iwi and Pasifika communities and support them in achieving fair outcomes. Through respectful and inclusive engagement, we hope to enhance the mana of these communities.
We commissioned an engagement strategy with Oranui and mapped out a unique framework that highlights what our tamariki are capable of when given the right support.
It emphasises the importance of karakia (spiritual understanding), whakawhanaungatanga (supportive relationships) and wehi (acknowledging achievement milestones).
Watch Axel, Hawaki and Te Waipuna performing the Haka 'Ka Mate':
'Ka Mate' is a haka, originally composed by Te Rauparaha, a Chief of Ngāti Toa Rangatira.
We acknowledge Ngāti Toa Rangatira as the kaitiaki of their taonga 'Ka Mate'.
Maximising Impact
We're upholding the rights of children by working at policy and systems levels.
By acknowledging the root causes of issues we’re creating a future where children's rights are embedded in laws, regulations, and practices.
UNICEF's Innocenti research centre provides us with worldwide expertise in policy development. We’ll combine our global knowledge with local experience and work with iwi to include mātauranga Māori in our advocacy efforts.
Through our policy work, we can create lasting change for generations to come and build a society where child rights are fully respected and defended!
Strengthening Research
UNICEF's global network allows us to support child rights in Aotearoa. By utilising annual Innocenti reports about the state of the world’s children, we can strengthen our local advocacy efforts!
Children in Aotearoa
We engage and assess the situation of Kiwi kids and identify priorities that guide our local advocacy work, addressing the specific needs and challenges faced by children in New Zealand. We reference reports from other child rights advocacy organisations especially where they include child or youth voice, and work with our amazing Young Ambassadors.
