After robust kōrero, Māori Wardens, the New Zealand Māori Council and Te Puni Kōkiri have developed a new interim Māori Warden Warranting Process to bring clarity and consistency to the warranting process.

“We [Māori Wardens, the New Zealand Māori Council and Te Puni Kōkiri] have all been committed to working together to improve the Warranting process so that no matter where your Māori Warden Group is it’s the same clear and consistent process,” says Te Rau Clarke, Project Manager Māori Wardens.

The new interim Māori Warden Warranting process has been tidied up and the roles and responsibilities within the process have been clearly identified.

Ten workshops were held throughout the motu with Māori Wardens and New Zealand Māori Council members to discuss the interim process and provide feedback.

There are four steps to the Warranting Process – Apply, Vetting, Nomination, Approval.  Each of the four stages has clear requirements from the applicant and the approver.

“The Vetting step has formally been brought into the Warranting Process,” explains Te Rau.  “This is fantastic. Māori Warden Group members working in their community have all of the right skills and attributes to support whānau and community members, and the Vetting step is a way of formalising this.”

A Guide to the New Interim Māori Warden Warranting Process has been developed to help familiarise the process amongst Māori Wardens and a new Application Form also.

The new interim Māori Warden Warranting process will take effect from 30 April 2018 and all new applications and re-warranting applications from 30 April 2018 must use the new Application Form.

Māori Warden Group administrators have the applications forms and copies of the Guide and they will continue to help applicants work through the new interim Māori Warden Warranting process.

Te Rau has advised that an online application process is scheduled for launch in July 2018.

“Being online is a normal expectation in today’s online world and it will enable us to track all applications and provide a faster service,” explains Te Rau.

If Māori Wardens have any questions they should contact their Māori Warden Group administrator first or their Regional Māori Warden Co-ordinator.

For more information about New Zealand Māori Wardens go here.