Pathway One Selected Initiatives

Children with parents in prison are among those who will benefit from early intervention through the preferred seven new projects anticipated for funding by the Social Investment Fund. In this first round of funding, a total of $50 million is anticipated to go towards programmes reaching more than 1600 children, ranging from newborns through to eighteen-year-olds.

The seven initiatives were announced in December 2025 and progressed to contract negotiations in Round One of Pathway One: New Investment.

Te Hou Ora Whānau Services Limited

Dunedin

Proposal to deliver individual mentoring to up to 120 children per annum in Dunedin City and carefully considered group-based sessions to build belonging, identity, and peer connection for Tamariki in Dunedin City. These factors reduce the risk of dropping out of school and later involvement with the justice or care systems. 

Tākiri Mai te Ata Trust

Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt

Proposal to provide Clinical Counselling and Trauma Therapy, Māori Healing Practices, Pacific Cultural Therapy and Wellbeing Wānanga and Cultural Therapies to up to 200 children and young people per annum who are in care, have parents in prison, or have been stood down from school in Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt.   

Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Charitable Trust

Christchurch and wider Canterbury

Proposal to deliver improved health, safety, and life skills for up to 200 children per annum in all priority cohorts in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and Waitaha (Canterbury). This initiative will strengthen protective relationships, build essential life skills, and uplift wellbeing.

Ngāti Awa Social and Health Services Trust

Eastern Bay of Plenty

Proposal to expand the Te Pukāea Community Front Door system to all target cohorts in Eastern Bay of Plenty, providing support for up to 450 children per annum. The initiative will build community awareness of Family Harm and grow a fully trained workforce to support whānau dealing with historic trauma. It will also strengthen specialist forensic nursing for child sexual abuse and provide better support for affected whānau. 

Barnardos New Zealand Incorporated

Māngere

Proposal to expand Te Korowai Mokopuna, a trauma-informed early intervention service focused on the first 2,000 days in Māngere. The initiative will provide support for up to 200 children per annum and strengthen Tamariki’s social skills and reduce challenging behaviours through emotionally supportive caregiving. 

Horowhenua New Zealand Trust

Levin

Proposal to scale ‘Project Lift Horowhenua’ in all three priority cohorts in Horowhenua, providing support for more than 400 children per annum. This is a transformational behaviour change programme for some of the most challenged children in the Horowhenua; a joined-up community system that restores learning, belonging and wellbeing

Kaikaranga Holding Ltd

Auckland

Proposal to provide proven navigation, wraparound coordination, and system-level learning mechanisms to up to 150 disabled tamariki living in Auckland who have been suspended or stood down from school per annum.  This initiative will focus primarily on disabled and neurodiverse learners and, where appropriate, their sibling groups who may also be affected.

Three demonstration initiatives were announced in May 2025. These initiatives were selected to provide tangible examples of the social investment approach. They will enable commissioners to test new outcomes-based agreements, data sharing approaches and protocols, and impact analysis and reporting, before scaling these approaches.

He Piringa Whare – Te Tihi o Ruahine

An alliance of nine hapū, iwi and Māori organisations and providers supporting over 130 families at a time with warmth, creativity, and determination – delivering a wraparound service that support whānau aspirations for – stable housing, education, training and employment, and many others beside.  

This investment is testing a wraparound family support service that empowers families to overcome a range of challenges to achieve their goals and enables them to play an active part in developing local family wellbeing initiatives. It will also help reshape how local public services are delivered so that they work better for all families.

Early years support – Autism New Zealand

Early identification and support for whānau and educators to understand the needs of autistic children and children showing signs of autism. The programme will provide support for around 200 (or 50 per year) children.  Whānau receive intensive support with workshops, home visits and coaching to learn ways to support their child. Educators and other professionals in the child’s education setting are also provided training and support. There is on-going support from age two for at home and in Early Childhood Education, including transition to school and building life skills.

This investment will test evaluation of cutting-edge identification and support services for families of young children showing early signs of autism. If successful, this initiative could change the support for hundreds of families.

Multi-Systemic Therapy for youth – Ka Puta Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) is an evidence-based, family driven intervention focused on reducing a young person’s anti-social or problematic behaviour. The behaviours addressed might include truancy, substance use, criminal offending, or violence at home or in the community. MST Therapists work with families, several times each week for 12-20 weeks. Support can be delivered in people’s homes, at their school or in community spaces. Outside of the Therapists visits, the service ensures someone from the team is available on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Multi Systemic Therapy aims to:

• create long term sustainable changes to improve family relationships
• decrease a young person’s alcohol or other substance use
• improve a young person’s education, job or training opportunities
• involve youth in positive activities
• address offending behaviour and reduce the risk of youth entering the justice system

This investment will test robust evaluation of the impact of youth and family support scheme (multi-systemic therapy) across multiple outcomes – including reduction in youth offending. This scheme will act as a benchmark.