Children's Minister Anne Tolley says Oranga Tamariki, the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children, is not a rebranding exercise.
Oranga Tamariki was officially launched in Wellington today by Prime Minister Bill English
It was created after a review by an expert advisory panel in 2015, which found the system was fragmented and lacked accountability.
The agency takes over from Child Youth and Family, which has been under review almost continuously since its inception in 1989, and has been restructured 14 times.
Ms Tolley told those gathered at the launch there was no quick fix and today was only the starting point.
"It will be a major shift away from a system that has responded to a crisis, to one that will provide early support to keep families together, and one that acknowledges and addresses the trauma suffered by children."
Mr English said the new ministry was just another step in the government getting to grips with New Zealand's most complex and multi-generational social problems.
"There's a lot of great work been done in the past protecting our kids. But we know we can do better, and there is a very broad consensus and a lot of support, based on a lot of hard work by Minister Tolley and the specialist expert group in this new start."
