Well Child Tamariki Ora (WCTO) is New Zealand’s key programme for supporting the health, development and wellbeing of tamariki from birth to five years.

In 2019, the Ministry began a process to review the Well Child Tamariki Ora programme to ensure it was delivering the best possible outcomes it could for all tamariki and their whānau. The review was commissioned as part of the health and disability sector’s response to the Government’s 2019 Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy and sought to analyse the programme’s sustainability and equity.

The review was informed by sector engagement hui; provider interviews; online surveys; consumer insight reviews; rapid evidence reviews; analysis of success and outcomes data; reviews of local and international research; and reviews of key policy settings.

This review report identifies that changes are needed to the design, delivery and resourcing of WCTO to achieve equity and to fully support tamariki and whānau who are Māori, Pacific, living with disabilities, in state care, and/or have high needs.