By Type:
Table of contents:
New Zealand has a proud history of social innovation. As a country, over the past century and beyond, we have strived to create a society that bears the hallmarks of fairness and inclusion, and that ensures everyone gets a fair go. That’s the New Zealand way. Continuing this trend of social innovation, the Government has developed an overarching goal for the next ten years that all families, young and old, have the support and choices they need to be secure and be able to reach their full potential within our knowledge based economy. It is about supporting people of every age to make the most of their abilities and opportunities, to be a valued part of their families and their communities, and to enjoy health, safety, and security. Five themes have been identified to support this goal: strong families; healthy confident kids; safe communities; better health for all; and positive aging.
Te Puni Kōkiri is interested in realising Māori potential through all of these themes. Principles of the Māori Potential Approach are informing our understanding of these topics. In particular, we recognise that Māori are culturally distinct and organise their family units as whānau; and that Māori are capable and have the aspiration and initiative to make choices for themselves within whānau. Over the past two years Te Puni Kōkiri has undertaken an extensive whānau Development Action and Research programme. Key findings from this research include:
A strong family is a secure family. Families – Young and Old is about safety, health, security, and opportunity for all members of every family, today and in future generations. Building upon our research into whānau, Te Puni Kōkiri believes maximising whānau potential is an effective and efficient approach to addressing the five themes within the Government’s overarching goal for Families – Young and Old.
We have identified the following priority areas in our work to maximise whānau potential:
Whānau are the core unit of Māori society, and as such are a crucial change agent for positive Māori development and an accelerant for realising Māori potential. Te Puni Kōkiri believes that where there is strong whānau infrastructure, whānau members will have increased life choices, life quality and cultural gain. Regardless of age, gender, location or socio economic status, everyone has positive potential. The ultimate aim of Te Puni Kōkiri is to see Māori achieve exceptional life quality, with Māori themselves identifying and developing the opportunities to maximise their potential. Te Puni Kōkiri sees maximising whānau potential as vital to improving life quality. It wants Māori families who are strong, healthy and connected. In short, strong whānau are a prerequisite for overall Māori development. Te Puni Kōkiri is interested in strengthening the policy and operational environment to enhance, among others, justice, housing and labour market outcomes for whānau.
Te Puni Kōkiri works with social development agencies including the Ministry of Social Development; Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health; Housing New Zealand and Department of Building and Housing; Families Commission; and other agencies with an interest in whānau development. we will continue to seek to partner agencies which have primary responsibility for the delivery of services to whānau, to find new ways to accelerate improved outcomes for whānau.
A key outcome for Te Puni Kōkiri is for Māori to be able to realise their potential in whatever domain they choose as culturally distinct and capable whānau. To this end, over the next two years Te Puni Kōkiri will be promoting a collaborative partnership model with other government agencies, which may include local level priority approaches and the brokering of integrated contracts. Te Puni Kōkiri will also be providing substantial second opinion policy advice to social development agencies about issues that impact on whānau.
In the medium term, Te Puni Kōkiri is working to enhance the cultural, social, economic and environmental facets of whānau life. Te Puni Kōkiri will be contributing to this by compiling a robust evidence base for policy development through research and evaluation of whānau initiatives. Te Puni Kōkiri will be working to strengthen sustainable collaborative relationships with iwi and Māori who hold a mandate to represent whānau. It will also seek to enhance the return on investment in whānau made by the Māori Potential Fund through evaluation, to determine the most cost effective methods of realising whānau potential. At the local level, we will be working directly with whānau to ensure that they are engaging with education and employment opportunities. We will also work to strengthen whānau participation to ensure that they can access all the benefits and services that they are entitled to in the health and social development sectors. In addition, we will support community programmes and services that are designed, developed and delivered by Māori in the justice sector.
Through research, whānau have identified the importance of reconnecting with each other, so they can rebuild whānau knowledge and traditions and the practices of whānau knowledge transfer. Te Puni Kōkiri is interested in ensuring that policy frameworks support whānau connections, and enable whānau to access their appropriate entitlements.
A key outcome for Te Puni Kōkiri is ensuring that whānau are connected with each other. Whānau use their connectedness to develop their whānau identity through the transfer of knowledge and traditions, and to strengthen whānau as effective organisational institutions. Through these processes, whānau provide support for their children and their kaumātua. This reflects the concept of Te Ira Tangata in the Māori Potential Approach, whereby strong social and cultural connectedness is a transformational feature of Māori lives and collective experiences.
Te Puni Kōkiri works in association with iwi and Māori organisations; the Ministry of Social Development; Ministry of Health; Housing New Zealand and Department of Housing and Building; Families Commission; and other agencies with an interest in whānau development.
In the short-term, Te Puni Kōkiri expects to develop and publish information and toolkits about aspects of whānau connections. It will provide policy advice to agencies about aspects of whānau connections in whānau development, and build measures of whānau success and produce success models and case studies. At the local level, we will provide support for whānau to develop and administer whānau trusts as the vehicles for whānau connections. we will also support activities that provide opportunities for whānau to connect and re-connect, including sporting events, hui and wānanga, and expos.
In the medium term, Te Puni Kōkiri will engage with whānau through intermediaries that have a focus on whānau development. Te Puni Kōkiri will support these agencies by establishing a clear understanding of, and policy position on, the nature of whānau connections in particular, and whānau development in general. It will work with intermediaries to support whānau connections, and report to the Minister of Māori Affairs and other key stakeholders about issues associated with whānau connections, and whānau development.
In recent years, we’ve seen improvements in Māori education, employment and health status. In turn, this has meant that Māori are progressively taking charge of their own destiny, playing an increasingly crucial part in New Zealand’s economy through education, employment and enterprise. whānau have identified leadership as a critical factor in overall whānau development.
There are many aspects of this leadership including cultural leadership, governance of whānau assets, and the provision of succession planning with whānau. The Māori resource base and economy are substantial and growing. Leaders with broad skills and a high level of expertise are required to manage and grow them. By supporting the effective governance and management of Māori assets and enterprises, we help to create an environment that significantly improves the return to Māori and helps improve life quality. Whānau also require strong leaders to ensure their continued social and cultural development. Policy development on whānau and Māori, therefore, needs to reflect and contribute to the maintenance and advancement of Māori leadership.
Te Puni Kōkiri work is directed at supporting whānau to identify and pursue their leadership interests. A key outcome identified by Te Puni Kōkiri is having Māori leaders in place that are providing leadership within their whānau, hapü and iwi, and within New Zealand and onto a global stage. They will be exercising greater management of assets and people for economic, social and cultural development. This reflects the concept of whakamana in the Māori Potential Approach, whereby strong and visionary leadership at all levels of Māori society drives and sustains collective success and advancement. Te Puni Kōkiri works with agencies that have a role and interest in whānau and Māori leadership, including the Ministry of women’s Affairs, Ministry of Education, and the Leadership Development Centre.
Over the short term, Te Puni Kōkiri will be completing a major piece of work on the accelerants of whānau and Māori leadership, which will be published and distributed. We will also maintain our nominations database so we can identify and support Māori into governance and leadership roles. In the medium term, Te Puni Kōkiri will be developing a clear understanding of whānau and Māori leadership and the conditions and circumstances that promote its development. We will be developing a work programme to support succession planning at all levels of Māori society. At the local level, we will provide support to increase the capacity and capability of whānau to govern and manage their whānau trusts and collectively owned assets. We will support iwi and sector awards that recognise and promote outstanding leaders. We will also work with other government agencies and local government to support them in connecting and engaging with whānau and iwi leadership.
