Our 2021 recommendations

The Government’s preparedness to implement the sustainable development goals

We recommend that the Government:

  1. clearly set out New Zealand's commitment to Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the sustainable development goals, including identifying which sustainable development targets New Zealand will aim to achieve by 2030. The Government will also need to consider how it will work with Māori to ensure that this commitment also upholds and reflects te Tiriti o Waitangi, and consult with relevant stakeholders;
  2. carry out and publish a more comprehensive assessment of the extent to which policies and initiatives address the sustainable development goals and targets;
  3. set clear expectations for how the sustainable development goals are to be incorporated in government agencies' strategic planning and policy work, and how agencies are expected to work together to ensure an integrated approach to achieving the goals;
  4. identify appropriate governance arrangements to implement the sustainable development goals. These arrangements should include assigning clear co-ordination and implementation responsibilities to government agencies;
  5. set out its plan to achieve the sustainable development goals and how it intends to monitor progress. The Government will also need to consider how it will work with Māori and consult with relevant stakeholders when developing the plan. Where possible, the plan should identify what can be achieved through existing policies, structures, and monitoring frameworks;
  6. urgently build on the work started with Ngā Tūtohu Aotearoa – Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand and the Living Standards Framework dashboard to ensure that there are appropriate indicators and adequate data to regularly measure progress towards the sustainable development goal targets that New Zealand is aiming to achieve by 2030. The indicators and associated data should be sufficiently disaggregated so they can be used to assess progress for all defined groups, especially those considered the most vulnerable; and
  7. carry out a review of New Zealand's first Voluntary National Review to identify improvements that can be made for next time, and publicly communicate time frames for the next Voluntary National Review.