Introduction from the Chief Executive

Tēnei ahau, e mihi nei ki te hunga kua huri ki tua o paerau, me koutou ngā kanohi ora o rātou mā, tēnā koutou katoa.

Te Puni Kōkiri works on an on-going basis with Ministers to refine priorities for the Māori Affairs portfolio. During the early stages of the current administration, this involved significant efforts in working with both the Minister and Associate Minister of Māori Affairs to build an understanding of their shared priorities. These shared priorities formed the basis for the evolution of Te Puni Kōkiri’s outcome framework, priorities and work programme signalled in last year’s accountability documents. During this period, Te Puni Kōkiri also contributed to the immediate priorities of the Government as a whole, including for example leading the Māori workstream for the Prime Minister’s Job Summit.

During the course of the year, government has refined its priorities for the Māori Affairs portfolio.

The statements contained in the Ministerial Foreword are very explicit and Te Puni Kōkiri’s response to each of those priorities will be as follows:

Whānau Ora

Whānau Ora is a new initiative of government developed from a Māori world view and philosophy with a single overarching aim of best outcomes for whānau. Its meaning is best described as attaining and maintaining wellness, health and resilience. Services funded through Whānau Ora will benefit Māori, but are not limited to Māori and will support the aspiration of all New Zealanders to become more self managing to enable them to take responsibility for their economic, cultural and social development. Te Puni Kōkiri will have a lead role in the implementation of Whānau Ora on behalf of government that will impact on other agencies that fund service delivery. I look forward to working with the new Minister Responsible for Whānau Ora on this exciting initiative. More detail is provided in the Operating Intentions section of this document.

Māori Language

Te Puni Kōkiri will have a lead role in conjunction with the Ministry of Education to undertake a comprehensive review of Māori language activity and funding across Government agencies culminating in the development of a revised Māori Language Strategy and progressing the decisions that arise from that.

Māori Economic Development

Māori are affected by economic trends in specific ways, reflecting the unique distribution of Māori economic activity across regions, sectors of the economy and types of jobs. This presents us with a significant opportunity to make stronger advances to support and invest in Māori economic growth.

Our research suggests that there is significant untapped potential within the Māori tourism sector so more effort will be required to raise the quality of Māori tourism experiences and the capability of Māori tourism operators.

Increased Māori participation in New Zealand’s economic system, through for example, Treaty settlements adding to the Māori asset base, has meant many iwi and Māori entities are now wanting to identify the opportunities for innovation and science to unlock the potential value in the Māori asset base.

Increased effort is required to ensure the appropriate policy settings are in place in support of the Māori economic development initiatives that the Minister of Māori Affairs is pursuing through the Ministerial Economic Taskforce. Te Puni Kōkiri will also be required to provide high quality second opinion policy advice concerning the impact on Māori as a result of the Government’s wider economic growth agenda; dairy, forestry, aquaculture/ seafood, mining, resource management, taxation system, and the recent decision to establish a New Zealand Productivity Commission.

There will also be a partial change in emphasis of the Māori Business Facilitation Service (MBFS) to support Māori business ‘readiness’ for export and greater focus on the Māori tourism sector. Currently, the MBFS caters to small to medium Māori business start-ups.

The Māori Potential Fund will have a growing emphasis on investments in skills and training, innovation and science. The Fund enables outcomes-based investments in Māori initiatives that better position Māori to build and leverage off their collective resources, knowledge, skills and leadership capability to improve their overall quality of life.

Foreshore and Seabed Review

The future resource requirements for foreshore and seabed related matters is dependent on the nature of the replacement regime, and particularly, the extent to which that regime may require the negotiation of Foreshore and Seabed Agreements with iwi, and/or on-going local level engagement regarding customary interests, regulatory matters, and decision making in the area concerned.

Constitutional Review and Reform

Te Puni Kōkiri in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice will play a lead role in the constitutional review and reform that is likely to require an on-going facilitation and brokerage role for Te Puni Kōkiri during the process as well as provision of related policy advice. The extent of work required will be largely dependent on the agreed terms of reference and level of wider engagement required.

Treaty Settlements

Te Puni Kōkiri anticipates that more facilitation and brokerage services will be required and a likely review of resource needs undertaken, as the pace of Treaty settlements increase in order to meet the Government’s aim of completing the settlement of historical Treaty claims by 2014.

This Statement of Intent indicates how Te Puni Kōkiri will focus on responding to the Government’s expectations over the medium-term and should be read in conjunction with the Māori, Other Populations and Cultural Sector Information Supporting the Estimates of Appropriations to 30 June 2011, particularly the performance information for appropriations in Vote Māori Affairs.

Whilst the business of Te Puni Kōkiri is very unique in the state services and readily understood by our stakeholders, it has not been generally recognised by, or perhaps articulated to, the wider New Zealand public. This year, my executive team has endeavoured to provide a transparent snapshot of our evolving outcomes framework, and how the associated performance framework aligns to the Government’s priorities, and effectively links outputs to outcomes.

Nō reira, noho ora mai koutou i ngā marae kāinga o te motu.

Leith Comer
Chief Executive

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