1. Who We Are

Te Puni Kōkiri - (1992-2007)

Te Puni Kōkiri was established, principally as a policy ministry, on 1 January 1992. Its broad functions, provided for through the Ministry of Māori Development Act 1991, are:

• Promoting increases in levels of achievement attained by Māori with respect to education, training and employment, health and economic resource development; and,
• Monitoring and liaising with each department and agency that provides, or has a responsibility to provide, services to or for Māori, for the purpose of ensuring the adequacy of those services.

Te Puni Kōkiri is the successor agency to the former Manatu Māori (Ministry of Māori Affairs), which was also a policy ministry, and Te Tira Ahu Iwi (the Iwi Transition Agency), which was responsible for the devolution of programmes and services delivered by the previous Department of Māori Affairs.

During its fifteen years of operation, the Ministry’s role has progressively evolved. The early emphasis on providing alternative views to ensure that Māori interests formed a part of Government’s policy considerations, facilitating local level access to mainstream services, and monitoring state sector performance with respect to Māori was gradually extended to incorporate direct funding of, and investment in, Māori communities and organisations and an increased focus on the quality of Crown - Māori relationships.

Since 2004, Te Puni Kōkiri’s strategic direction and associated efforts have been focused on ‘Māori succeeding as Māori’. This desired outcome recognises the importance of Māori achieving a sustainable level of success that is underpinned by the cultural fabric that is part of being Māori. This desired outcome state is supported by the Māori Potential Approach, which is the Ministry’s overarching policy framework and basis for all of its operations.

In 2007, Te Puni Kōkiri is an integrated agency delivering high quality policy advice, strategic investments geared towards realising Māori potential, and managing relationships and information to positively influence Government’s relationships with Māori.