[Update: Following the State Services Commissioner’s announcement, we can advise that until the new Chief Executive for Te Puni Kōkiri starts on 3 December 2012, Leith Comer will remain with Te Puni Kōkiri until the end of November 2012.]

It’s been my very good fortune to lead Te Puni Kōkiri for nearly 12 years and as you read this final Kōkiri column from me, I will have that privilege for one more month as I look towards my final day as Chief Executive on 28 September 2012.

I have served Labour and National governments both of which have been led by Prime Ministers who I am sure history will record as being superb political leaders of their time.

While the government may differ in policy around matters such as property rights and interests, and political representation; they have a lot of similarities on things like Māori education, health, housing and employment as well as Treaty Settlements.

I won’t single out individual Ministers that I have served but would observe that they all work incredibly hard and show great commitment and real concern for improving the lives of Māori.

The changing nature of Crown-Māori relations is encouraging.

There are more Māori MPs, more Māori are finding their way into government Ministers' offices and more Māori are being invited to important discussions. Māori are being seen as enhancing NZ Inc as opposed to being a risk to be managed.

Over time Te Puni Kōkiri has been subjected to a lot of scrutiny and public comment. Some criticism has been unfair and ill informed.

Regardless, I am very proud of the report of the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) exercise team headed by Neil Walter, David Smyth and Miriama Evans who said “The Chief Executive and his Executive Leadership Team have provided impressive leadership, and staff have responded well. TPK plays an important role in a wide range of inter-agency exercises and is generally viewed by other agencies as a good and constructive team player. It provided a good level of monitoring and support for its Crown entities.”

I have had a great deal of enjoyment and pleasure out of the people with whom I have worked while I have been at Te Puni Kōkiri and I have greatly valued the loyalty and support shown by the staff in my own office, the wāhanga based in Wellington and all the regional offices throughout the country.

Te Puni Kōkiri has its share of outstanding thinkers and clever public servants as do other Ministries. But we have a far greater number of staff who are fully engaged in the kaupapa; this is what’s special about our people.

I leave Te Puni Kōkiri with the Māori waka being positioned in waters that previously it didn’t sail:

• The establishment of Māori Television.
• An independent Māori Trustee.
• Enhanced support for Māori Tourism.
• Formation of Whānau Ora.
• Māori playing a central role in RWC2011.
• Māori doing business in China.

I could go on. Suffice to say that the gains Māori have made during the last decade have been significant.

I am leaving the organisation at a time when a working party headed by Piri Sciascia is to table a report to Ministers in which I am expecting to see it signal a stronger and refocused Te Puni Kōkiri able to play a stronger role in the public sector. This is a positive and promising development for the organisation; whose goal is Māori succeeding as Māori.

As with every edition of Kōkiri the stories we share here also tell of Te Puni Kōkiri’s role in supporting the realisation of Māori potential with stories that say te reo Māori, land/tūrangawaewae and prestige are all central to the way in which Māori culture continues to thrive.

I feel privileged to have been a part of it all.

Beyond 28 September, I am not looking to retire as I am keen to pursue activities particularly in the Māori economic space including establishing the opportunity for Māori to do business in China.

I want to wish the staff at Te Puni Kōkiri all the very best as they continue their good mahi. I also extend my very best wishes to whoever will become the new Chief Executive of Te Puni Kōkiri.