By Type:
Table of contents:
Our country is special, and our people are special. Our creative people are taking New Zealand to the world in new and exciting ways – through film and music, festivals and exhibitions, dance, kapa haka, and literature. Our sports people, artists, performers, and leaders across the community provide inspiration at many levels. There is an evolving New Zealand way of doing things and a stronger New Zealand identity is emerging. Fostering this unique national identity is a key goal identified by the Government.
One of the areas under the overarching theme of strengthening national identity is the reconciliation with our past, so that as a nation we can be confident about our future. That is what the Treaty settlement process is about, putting right the wrongs of the past so we can move forward together.
Te Puni Kōkiri is the lead agency for the reconciliation theme. In this capacity, we have applied the Māori Potential Approach to help us think about the rationale for this work, and its various strands. The Treaty of Waitangi envisaged a co-operative and harmonious relationship between Māori and the Crown in New Zealand, with Māori maintaining and developing their own distinctive culture and value system as the basis for participating fully in wider society as Māori. The Government has accepted that there were historical breaches of this relationship, and is currently in the process of addressing these. The historical Treaty settlement process has considerable momentum. This year the Government will be working with over twenty claimant groups, each with a number of claims.
In addition, the Government has recognised the importance of Māori language and culture within wider New Zealand society. Sustaining the unique aspects of culture, values, and national identity in a world of globalised media and culture has been given a high priority by Government.
To these ends, Te Puni Kōkiri has identified the following priority areas for its work:
Through Treaty of waitangi settlements, the Government is able to address long-standing grievances that have affected the ability and willingness of Māori to engage in New Zealand society. Te Puni Kōkiri’s work facilitates this process.
Te Puni Kōkiri is the Crown’s primary adviser on its relationship with iwi, hapü and Māori. In the Treaty settlements sector, this is reflected by developing advice on Treaty settlement policies, on specific claims, on claimant representation and mandate, ratification, land-banking and the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.
A key outcome for Te Puni Kōkiri is that durable settlements are reached. Treaty settlements can significantly contribute to returning to claimant groups the economic and other resources needed for community development and a degree of self-determination. This reflects the focus of the Māori Potential Approach on Rawa (Resources), and ensuring that Māori are successfully exercising mana and kaitiakitanga over their resources and are seen as legitimately doing so by other stakeholders. (whakamana)
In the short term, Te Puni Kōkiri will continue to provide the Minister of Māori Affairs with regular reports about the mandate of claimant groups and the governance arrangements that underpin these groups. It will also provide support for Treaty of Waitangi education.
In the medium term, Te Puni Kōkiri will be focused on continuing to ensure Deeds of Mandate are developed and confirmed in a timely manner. Te Puni Kōkiri contributes by referring to its regional networks and working with the Office of Treaty Settlements to:
The indicator of success will be the number of Deeds of Mandate that are successfully completed in any financial year.
The Māori language is a taonga that contributes to our country’s distinct and unique cultural identity. It is an official language of New Zealand and is indigenous to our country. The richness and vibrancy of the Māori language has enormous potential to distinguish New Zealand in areas such as tourism, exporting, employment, education and broadcasting. The Māori language is also the primary vehicle for the transmission of Māori culture.
The Government has a clear and longstanding commitment to support the revitalisation of the Māori language, and Te Puni Kōkiri has the lead policy role in this work. Te Puni Kōkiri works in association with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission), Te Māngai Pāho (the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency), Māori Television Service, Ministry of Education, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Ministry of Economic Development, and other related agencies and organisations. Māori broadcasting has been identified as an important vehicle for the transmission of Māori language, and will become increasingly important in the facilitation of connections and access to information to inform decision-making among whānau and communities about various issues they face.
The Māori Language Strategy, published in 2003 by Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) sets out a number of outcomes for the growth and development of the Māori language. Key among these is increasing the number of people with Māori language skills. Concurrently, many iwi are developing iwi specific language strategies. In addition, a second key outcome is increasing the use of Māori language in key targeted domains (for example, homes and marae). This is consistent with the Māori Potential Approach as it relates to Te Ira Tangata (Life Quality), in particular, the focus on Māori enjoying a secure cultural identity, strong cultural capability and freedom of cultural expression.
Going forward Te Puni Kōkiri will prepare a Māori Broadcasting Policy Framework. It will also be preparing terms of reference for, and then leading, a review of the Māori Television Service Act 2003. In addition, Te Puni Kōkiri will be publishing the results of two surveys about knowledge and use of Māori language. These will inform policy work to revise and update the Māori Language Strategy.
In the medium term Te Puni Kōkiri will be working to ensure there is a clear, coherent and up-to-date policy framework in place for Māori language and Māori broadcasting that directs and co-ordinates the work of sector agencies and others. At the community level, we will continue to provide investment support for the development and implementation of iwi and community language plans. We will work collaboratively with iwi radio stations to strengthen their governance and management arrangements, and we will work with communities to strengthen connections with and between Māori language providers. The indicator of success will be gains made in the number of Māori with Māori language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) at different levels of proficiency. In the future this will be measured through information contained in Statistics New Zealand’s Māori Social Survey.
Mātauranga Māori is the knowledge base that underpins Māori culture. Accordingly, understanding mātauranga Māori helps us to understand how Māori engage with the world. Derived from traditional knowledge, mātauranga evolves within new generations. Te Puni Kōkiri is interested in understanding mātauranga Māori and how it manifests in the dynamics of contemporary Māori society. In addition, we seek to support the retention and development of mātauranga Māori in culturally authentic ways that allow Māori to gain advantage. In business, traditional values, activities and protocols are providing Māori with natural advantages they can use.
Te Puni Kōkiri recognises that there are significant policy issues associated with cultural and intellectual property rights in this area. Te Puni Kōkiri is working to ensure Māori people and their organisations can maximise their cultural capital through the optimal use of mātauranga Māori. This outcome reflects the concept of cultural distinctiveness in the Māori Potential Approach, as mātauranga Māori is a key foundation of Māori culture.
It is recognised that mātauranga Māori is evolutionary, and can provide an important contribution to the national and international knowledge society. Accordingly, Te Puni Kōkiri is working with experts on mātauranga Māori and alongside agencies with roles and interest in this concept to develop an authoritative, informed, clear and concise understanding of it. Guided by the Māori Potential Approach, Te Puni Kōkiri aims to establish a constructive and credible leadership role with other agencies on mātauranga Māori.
In the short and medium term, Te Puni Kōkiri will be completing a significant body of work on mātauranga Māori, while devising, testing and promulgating a policy statement on mātauranga Māori. At the community level, we will continue to work with whānau, hapü and iwi to facilitate succession planning among experts in mātauranga Māori. We will support work to record and safeguard mātauranga Māori, and to make it available to new generations through modern technology. In addition, we will support opportunities for Māori to promote artwork and taonga that are derived from a mātauranga Māori base. A measure of success of this work will be the utility that other agencies get from the mātauranga Māori policy, and the recognition they give Te Puni Kōkiri’s leadership in this area. At the community level, success will be measured by the collection and analysis of local information that show our investment initiatives have had a positive impact.
Marae are important sites for the practical expression of mātauranga Māori. In many communities, they are a centre for cultural activities, connection centres for urban Māori, language rejuvenation, and the centre of social programmes that have as their aim improving the life quality of Māori. In addition, they are store houses of taonga (treasures). Te Puni Kōkiri is focused on ensuring policy frameworks support the self-determination of marae.
A key outcome for Te Puni Kōkiri is that marae are giving full expression to their role as sites for the practical expression of mātauranga Māori. Reflecting the principles of the Māori Potential Approach that address the capability and cultural distinctiveness of Māori, Te Puni Kōkiri will continue working with iwi, and other relevant agencies (for example, the Department of Internal Affairs, Local Government and the New Zealand Fire Service) to ensure the policy environment facilitates marae to identify and address their own development requirements.
In the short term, Te Puni Kōkiri will complete and publish the results of a national survey of marae, which will provide a basis for advice to funding bodies and other agencies that support marae. Te Puni Kōkiri will continue to liaise with those agencies that oversee policy settings that impact on marae. At the community level, we will develop and promulgate toolkits for marae to provide advice about issues such as trustee responsibility, marae insurance, and physical development of marae. In addition, we will support interaction and friendly competition between marae through hui, sporting and cultural activities.
