The Public Service Act 2020 requires chief executives to prepare a briefing every three years, which will then be tabled in Parliament.

Due to be completed next year, these briefings will provide New Zealanders with a chance to consider the opportunities, risks and challenges the next 20 to 30 years might bring.

For Te Puni Kōkiri the Long-Term Insights Briefing is an opportunity to set out a Māori public policy agenda, both underpinned by evidence-based forecasting and informed by the priorities and experiences of whānau and Māori communities.

With the initial future forecasts now taking shape, the Insights project team has begun to test its approach.

After a dress rehearsal with staff, the team has briefed other government agencies, and over the summer months it will begin what it hopes will become an ongoing conversation with whānau and with Māori from all walks of life and experiences. This will include seeking their advice on what they believe the government’s priorities for Māori should be over the next 20 years.

These insights, captured in the briefing, will provide a roadmap so the government can create the systems changes necessary for whānau and Māori to achieve the future they would choose for themselves.

Deputy Secretary of Policy Partnerships Geoff Short says the briefing provides an opportunity to influence Māori public policy, and for people to learn more about the role Te Puni Kōkiri plays in achieving better outcomes for Māori.

“This means scenarios are whānau focussed. For example, in the next few years there will be more than 1 million people who identify as Māori, mostly younger than 25 years old, while the rest of the population is aging. So, what does that mean for how whānau choose to organise in the future?”

A reference group will support the kaupapa. Members of the reference group include Professor Tahu Kukutai, Dr Will Edwards and Dr Mahonri Owen.