POLICY BRIEF
Public Health Rev.
From promise to practice: The growth and future of IPS employment support in Aotearoa New Zealand
- HL
Helen Lockett 1,2
- WE
Warren Elwin 1
- RW
Robert Williams 3
1. Wise Group, Hamilton, New Zealand
2. University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
3. Work Counts, Hamilton, New Zealand
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Abstract
This policy brief examines the expansion of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Aotearoa New Zealand between 2019 and 2024, situating IPS implementation within the wider health, welfare, and labour market context. We describe the authorising environment at macro (policy, funding, legislation), meso (organisational values and targets, technical assistance, learning communities) levels, to consider the impact on IPS availability, implementation quality and suitability for national scale up. The IPS workforce has nearly doubled in five years to 103 full-time equivalent (FTE) employment specialists, focused in 12 of 20 health districts, substantially expanding reach in these districts. However, access remains uneven, especially in rural areas and regions which remain without IPS coverage. Drawing on local IPS effectiveness and cost-effectiveness research and international evidence, we identify practical levers for equitable scale-up, including cross-government commissioning, sustained implementation support, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi aligned delivery. We conclude with five actionable policy options and recommendations to protect gains, reduce inequities, and strengthen national implementation quality.
Summary
Keywords
Aotearoa New Zealand, Equity, indigenous leadership, Individual Placement and Support, policy
Received
21 December 2025
Accepted
16 September 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Lockett, Elwin and Williams. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Helen Lockett
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.