Strategic Business Plan 2003-2008 Themes and Strategies

The Department's Strategic Business Plan 2003 - 2008 sets the overall direction for the organistion and is supported by a Maori Strategic Plan, a Pacific Strategy and four operational strategies. This annual report details the key initiatives achieved during the second year of the strategic business plan.

The strategic business plan is based around four themes that provide the strategic framework for the Department to deliver on its outcomes and address the issues impacting on its operations. The four themes of the strategic business plan are:

  • Ensuring Effective Offender Management
  • Improving Responsiveness to Maori
  • Reducing Re-offending
  • Enhancing Capability and Capacity.

Within each theme is a series of strategies and initiatives to guide the Department towards achievement of its outcomes. Specific initiatives under each strategy, illustrative of the Department's activities, have been undertaken. More initiatives have been developed as successive statements of intent have been produced since the plan's inception.

The Department's four themes, although complementary in representing an overall managerial approach to effecting the Department's purpose and the Government's goals, are targeted to contribute directly towards safer communities, protecting the public and reducing re-offending. Each theme identifies and highlights a key aspect of effectively managing a corrections system within New Zealand's social, economic and cultural environment.

Theme 1, Ensuring Effective Offender Management, encompasses the complex operational necessities of custodial and non-custodial perspective, in a safe, secure, humane and effective manner.

Theme 2, Improving Responsiveness to Maori, recognises that Maori make up a large percentage of the offender population. The importance of being responsive to Maori and targeting effective interventions for Maori is critical.

Theme 3, Contributing to Reducing Re-offending, recognises the criticality of providing opportunities to assist offenders to address their offending behaviours and successfully return to the community. The rehabilitative and reintegrative interventions and activities contained within this theme are aimed at changing behaviours to address recidivism.

Theme 4, Enhancing Capability and Capacity, comprises a set of largely internal initiatives that are designed to provide the Department with the capability and capacity to address effectively and successfully the integral demands of themes 1 to 3. The focus of this theme is distinctively different in that it helps ensure the Department has in place the appropriate resources, people, support systems and infrastructure.

The purpose of the Maori Strategic Plan 2003 - 2008 is to align the Department's work with the expectations of Maori communities. The plan aims to contribute to 'the wellness and wellbeing of the people' by focusing on three key themes:

  • building partnerships with Maori
  • being effective for Maori
  • being responsive to Maori.

A new Pacific Strategy 2005 - 2008 was launched by the Minister of Corrections on 29 July 2005. The Pacific Strategy is designed to assist the Department to focus and direct its activities and efforts to areas most likely to produce positive outcomes for Pacific peoples in New Zealand.

The Pacific Strategy aims to assist the Department to achieve its desired outcomes of protecting the public and reducing re-offending, by focusing on three key themes:

  • strengthening relationships with Pacific peoples
  • being effective for Pacific peoples
  • being responsive to Pacific peoples.

To assist the Department in progressing the key themes identified in both the Maori Strategic Plan and Pacific Strategy, priority areas have been identified that will enable the Department to target resources effectively across a mix of current and new initiatives, including the Department's focus on reintegration.

This annual report outlines progress made by the Department in implementing its strategies and initiatives through the delivery of the outputs set out in the 2004/05 Statement of Intent.

Table 2: Overview of Corrections Strategic Framework

The following diagram summarises the linkages from the Department???s strategic framework through delivery of the outputs set out in the 2004/05 Statement of Intent to departmental and justice sector outcomes and key government goals.

Overview of Corrections Strategic Framework