Making Work Pay: Policymakers Perspectives on ‘Working for Families’

The paper focuses on preliminary analysis of the first set of data collected, namely key informant interviews conducted with policy makers involved in the development of the Working for Families (WFF) policy, exploring their understandings of the policy and its implementation. Four key themes, emerging from the key informant interview data, are presented for discussion: the context for, and background to, the policy; perceptions of policy intent; views of the philosophical underpinnings; and policy implementation. The paper concludes by reflecting on the implications for Māori communities of this complex and multi-faceted policy, noting that increasing whānau knowledge about the policy, and its benefits, is crucial to the improvement of whānau wellbeing within our communities.