• Ministerial foreword
• Chief Executive's preface
• Purpose of the social report
• Social wellbeing
• Social indicators
• Disaggregation of social report indicators
• Domains and Indicators for The Social Report 2008
• Structure of the report
• The future
• Other indicator reports

Chief Executive's preface

The Social Report 2008 is intended to enable community and regional organisations, researchers, government departments and others to understand how our social conditions are changing over time. The Report provides a comprehensive picture of New Zealanders’ social wellbeing and quality of life.

This is the seventh edition of the Social Report. As well as updating the set of indicators included in previous editions, this year’s Report introduces a new indicator on potentially hazardous drinking. I am pleased that we will be able to monitor changes in this area, which is of concern to many New Zealanders.

Many of the indicators have now been disaggregated to regional and territorial authority level to assist regional and local authorities monitor community outcomes and facilitate planning.

Drawing information together from a wide range of sources enables us to see how outcomes are changing for the New Zealand population. This Report provides important information on outcomes for Māori, Pacific peoples, and where possible Asian and other ethnic groups. It outlines differences in social outcomes for men and women, and for socio-economic groups.

The Report also provides a useful comparison of the wellbeing of New Zealanders' compared to that of people living in other countries.

This edition is the result of a lot of hard work by Ministry of Social Development staff together with input, support and advice from other government agencies and community organisations. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of everyone who has been involved. I hope that you will continue to find the Social Report a valuable resource.

Peter Hughes
Chief Executive
Ministry of Social Development