Collaboration with Other Agencies

To achieve the best results from its activities, the Department works closely with the core justice sector agencies and other government agencies.

Justice Sector Collaboration

The justice sector agencies work together in a range of ways to deliver effective justice services and to maximise the sector's contribution to outcomes and the Government's priorities.

Crime Reduction Strategies

Interventions that aim to reduce crime and re-offending involve agencies from across the sector. These interventions include the provision of information to the public, supporting community initiatives to prevent crime and victimisation, and the provision of specific services, such as the delivery of programmes designed to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders.

Key Justice Sector Statistics

Justice Sector Planning Process

The justice sector has a co-ordinated annual planning process facilitated by the Ministry of Justice. The process is focused on identifying priorities for the justice sector as a whole and presenting a package of options to Ministers as part of the Government's annual Budget process. One tool that will enable the sector to plan more effectively is the development and implementation of a modelling and resource allocation tool known as the 'pipeline'model. This model is aimed at improving sector understanding of the flow-through effects of changes to the system, such as the effect of increased Police resources.

Sector Annual Planning Cycle

Review outputs, recommend improvements and new initiatives		Make connections between outputs, sector outcomes and Government priorities		Ensure appropriate measurement of outcomes
Monitor and evaluate progress towards outcomes			Deliver outputs

Justice Sector Information Strategy

The sector has a co-ordinated strategy to improve information sharing across the sector. The strategy also ensures that the sector maintains compliance with E-government standards.

Justice Sector Communications Strategy

The sector also works to co-ordinate communications activity across the sector, through the Justice Sector Communications Strategy.

Justice Sector Links to Social Sector

The work of the justice sector requires a strong interface and co-operation with social sector agencies. For example, the justice sector is contributing to cross-sector work underway on the Governmentls priority of Families - young and old, with particular focus on safe communities. In addition, the Ministry of Social Development manages the Opportunities for All strategic coordinating framework. Opportunities for All identifies critical cross-sectoral issues, of which reducing family violence is the area of particular focus for the justice sector.

The Government's Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families is committed to a vision of New Zealand families and whanau living free from violence. Individual justice sector agencies will respond to thisin a range of ways relevant to their responsibilities.

The Department's Collaboration with Other Agencies

As part of the core justice sector, the Department collaborates with the Ministry of Justice on matters relating to justice sector policy and courts, with New Zealand Police on operational decisions affecting the management of offenders, and with Child, Youth and Family on youth justice.

Close collaboration is maintained with the Ministry of Social Development on employment and industry-accredited training initiatives for prisoners, and with the Ministry of Health on forensic mental health and intellectual disabilities.

The Department also has in place a number of agreements with other government departments and agencies to assist with achieving its goals of protecting the public and reducing re-offending. The Department is also represented on a number of local, regional and national intersectoral committees, established to contribute towards the achievement of key government goals.