Rod has significant experience in youth work both on the ground and in the policy space. He has done much to influence healthy youth practice in the Wellington region and was a friend to youthwork extraordinaire, Chris Casey.
We’ve also benefited from Rod’s groundbreaking work on the Aotearoa Youthwork Code of Ethics and the Supervision Scrapbook for Youthworkers (now in its 3rd Edition (2022)).

Rod was awarded status as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Ka pai Rod!

BAXTER, Mr Rodney David (Rod)

For services to youth

Mr Rod Baxter has been contributing to youth work for more than 20 years.

Mr Baxter increased ethical practices for youth workers by collaboratively developing the ‘Code of Ethics of Youth Work in New Zealand’ (2008). As Director of Impact of The Prince’s Trust Aotearoa (PTANZ), he developed entrepreneurship education programmes to support youth in their engagement with the economy. With the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD), he co-wrote ‘Te Kete Aronui: Understanding what good looks in youth enterprise’, an evidence-based outcomes framework that has informed MYD to lift the quality of youth enterprise opportunities. He has been the CEO of PTANZ since 2021, leading the Trust to match funding of $2 million seed funding with MYD on He Kākano, a mentoring and enterprise skill development pilot for youth aged 17 to 30. He has developed projects and programmes for youth across New Zealand, most notably at the Wellington Boys’ and Girls’ Institute. He was the Project Coordinator for several Wellington City art projects, transforming illegal tagging into iconic legal street art. Mr Baxter has been Chair of several boards including the National Youth Workers Network Aotearoa, Pathways to Professionalisation Working Group and Korowai Tupu, and regularly facilitates youth development training with Praxis and the New Zealand Youth Mentoring Network.

We are stoked to see Rod Baxter recognised, in the King’s Birthday Honours, for the amazing mahi he’s been part of for youth development in Aotearoa New Zealand.