Not earning or learning – understanding Otago youth in need – Media release
19 July 2017
In the 2015 calendar year, 87,650 New Zealanders aged 15–24 years spent more time not in employment, education, or
training (NEET) than they did in either education or employment, according to research conducted jointly between Stats
NZ, Methodist Mission Southern, and the Ministry for Women.
Otago youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), released today by Stats NZ, draws on data from Stats NZ’s
Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) and focuses on the Otago region where Methodist Mission Southern provides services
to young people in need.
The research found that 2,800 young people in Otago experienced being NEET as their main activity over 2015, and that
nearly three quarters (72 percent) of those young people lived in Dunedin city.
Using the IDI, the researchers were able to look more closely at areas within Dunedin that tended to have higher
proportions of NEET young people such as Caversham, which had a NEET rate of 17.4 percent, and Brockville, which had a
rate of 16.8 percent, compared with the overall Otago NEET rate of 8.4 percent.
“Understanding more precisely where these young people live enables us to better connect them with services that meet
their needs,” Jimmy McLauchlan, business development leader, Methodist Mission Southern said.
“Being able to look across the different aspects of their lives helps us understand their circumstances, which can be
complex; and to develop tailored services to create positive change in their lives. None of this is possible without
integrated data.”
The research found that Otago 15–24-year-olds whose main activity was NEET in 2015 were more likely than those who were
in education or employment to have:
• experienced suspension, stand-down, or truancy intervention at some stage while at secondary school
• used services or treatments for drug or alcohol abuse and/or other mental health conditions at some stage in
their lives
• experienced two or more changes of address in 2015.
Nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) of 15–19-year-old mothers in Otago were NEET as a main activity in 2015. Over 2000
15–19-year-old mothers were NEET nationwide.
“Using IDI helped us consider factors related to resilience such as having a driver licence or having ever worked,” Deb
Potter, principal analyst at Ministry for Women said.
“This helps us look at policy options to help support young mothers choosing to re-enter education or the workforce.”
This research was an example of successful partnership between Stats NZ, Ministry for Women, and a service provider able
to make use of the results.
“Working in collaboration with NGOs, and a policy agency, has helped our team pull together the data our partners need
to change these young people’s lives for the better,” Andrea Blackburn, senior manager, Integrated Data Stats NZ said.
“IDI data allows us to identify young people who have had sustained periods of being NEET, provide detailed information
at regional and local area levels, and to look at many different characteristics of NEET youth to help inform the
services which make a difference.”
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